When will all stations be "fully accessible"?

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Great Western Coffee Shop > All across the Great Western territory > Across the West > When will all stations be "fully accessible"?

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Topic: When will all stations be "fully accessible"? (Read 2256 times)

grahame

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When will all stations be "fully accessible"?

« on: December 21, 2019, 12:56:14 »

From The Railway Hub

Quote

A target to make Britain’s railway stations fully accessible by 2030 is set to be missed by 40 years, according to a disability charity.

Leonard Cheshire claimed all stations will not be step-free until 2070 if the current rate of enhancement work continues.

It warned that inaccessible stations are stopping people such as wheelchair users from travelling by train.


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GBM

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Re: When will all stations be "fully accessible"?

« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2019, 19:54:51 »

Does it mention lack of staff (especially at unmanned stations)!


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broadgage

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Re: When will all stations be "fully accessible"?

« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2019, 20:03:01 »

I very much doubt that all stations will EVER be fully accessible, or indeed that that all trains will ever be accessible.

If there is any risk of most stations becoming accessible by todays standards, then the standards will have to be updated to require a greater degree of accessibility than is the case today. Trains ditto.

"step free access" could be replaced by a requirement for completely level access from street to interior of train for example. And of course accessibility could be extended to include not just physical access but also announcements and information. More signs for the hearing impaired and more announcements for the visually impaired. And ever changing standards for both.


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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU^▸ is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.

Chris from Nailsea

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Re: When will all stations be "fully accessible"?

« Reply #3 on: Yesterday at 21:40:05 »

Catching up (rather belatedly, for which I apologise) with this topic here:

I, too, doubt that they will ever be 'fully accessible'.

Using Nailsea & Backwell station as my local example: here we have a rather steep slope up to platform 2, but that has to be accessed from some distance along the road, Station Close.

There is no disabled access slope up to (or down from) platform 1. There simply isn't anywhere to build it, on the embankment below our elevated station.

The solution would be to build a new set of lifts - but that was last costed at around £1million, so that isn't ever going to happen, purely for the 'cost benefit ratio' numbers.

Chris from Nailsea. Roll Eyes

Roll Eyes


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William Huskisson MP^▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.

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