Killingworth
Established Member
In recent years the railway industry has spent immense sums to provide improved accomodation for those with disabilities. The most obvious is larger train toilets and space beside them for a wheelchair.
I'm sure I can't be the only rail user who has rarely seen a wheelchair being taken aboard a train, let alone seen a user use a toilet. All that effort but it's still too much of an ordeal for a user to get on and off a train. That's despite the stations also receiving major attention with all sorts of ramped footbridges, lifts and other alterations. Assistance services are only available at the largest stations. Ramps on platforms and trains are rarely deployed not least because wheelchair users rarely travel by train.
I recently met a gentleman parking his car in a disabled bay at my local station. The way he deployed his wheelchair then swung himself out of the car and into it was impressive. I asked him what he thought of arrangements going on trains. Ah, he wasnt going on the train but was visiting the barbers next to the station!
We got talking. A thalidomide victim he's never had legs but has incredibly strong arms and is fiercely independent. He did try a train once but didn't like delaying it for the ramp to be deployed at both ends of his short journey Into Sheffield. He'd wheeled himself, slowly, the 4 miles or so back! His view is that trains generally are not sufficiently accessible for the majority of wheelchair users to get into in the first place.
On a recent 15 minute journey from Barnetby to Market Rasen aboard a single car 153 I was amazed to see 4 people from different parts of the train make use of the toilet, hop up, go and return to seat. On another journey between Scunthorpe and Sheffield on a crowded 185 (previous hourly service cancelled) there was a toilet queue for most of the journey. There certainly is demand for toilets on trains!
I was great impressed to encounter Greater Anglias new rolling stock and noted its step free access. Is it attracting more wheelchair users? At least they can get aboard much more easily!
Has anyone seen any wheelchair users actually use one of these onboard accessible toilets that have been installed at enormous expense?
Shouldn't all new trains be specified to have step free platform access?
I'm sure I can't be the only rail user who has rarely seen a wheelchair being taken aboard a train, let alone seen a user use a toilet. All that effort but it's still too much of an ordeal for a user to get on and off a train. That's despite the stations also receiving major attention with all sorts of ramped footbridges, lifts and other alterations. Assistance services are only available at the largest stations. Ramps on platforms and trains are rarely deployed not least because wheelchair users rarely travel by train.
I recently met a gentleman parking his car in a disabled bay at my local station. The way he deployed his wheelchair then swung himself out of the car and into it was impressive. I asked him what he thought of arrangements going on trains. Ah, he wasnt going on the train but was visiting the barbers next to the station!
We got talking. A thalidomide victim he's never had legs but has incredibly strong arms and is fiercely independent. He did try a train once but didn't like delaying it for the ramp to be deployed at both ends of his short journey Into Sheffield. He'd wheeled himself, slowly, the 4 miles or so back! His view is that trains generally are not sufficiently accessible for the majority of wheelchair users to get into in the first place.
On a recent 15 minute journey from Barnetby to Market Rasen aboard a single car 153 I was amazed to see 4 people from different parts of the train make use of the toilet, hop up, go and return to seat. On another journey between Scunthorpe and Sheffield on a crowded 185 (previous hourly service cancelled) there was a toilet queue for most of the journey. There certainly is demand for toilets on trains!
I was great impressed to encounter Greater Anglias new rolling stock and noted its step free access. Is it attracting more wheelchair users? At least they can get aboard much more easily!
Has anyone seen any wheelchair users actually use one of these onboard accessible toilets that have been installed at enormous expense?
Shouldn't all new trains be specified to have step free platform access?
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