Problems with Britain’s trains | Letters
Regarding your article “Britain’s rolling stock is 21 years old on average” (28 December), I would argue that accessibility for disabled people travelling on trains is of a similar age. The staff are fantastic but the accessibility of the rolling stock is not. I am a wheelchair user who regularly travels by train. When I travel, I must book assistance to help me on and off trains. At peak times this assistance does not always happen. I mention this because in Berlin, much of the rail system provides level access on to the trains. This enables wheelchair users who can to use the train independently. This is something I hope will be looked at in the new design of trains and stations.
I regularly use both the east and west coast mainlines to visit family. My partner and I are both in electric wheelchairs and cannot transfer to companion seats. Most carriages only have a single wheelchair space so we can’t sit together. With innovative design, train companies could have dual-purpose spaces that allow for wheelchair users when needed and can also be accessed by non-disabled passengers when there are no wheelchair users travelling. This would enable multiple wheelchair users to travel together.
Source: Guardian Transport
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