Rail accessibility and inclusion news – Page 3
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Rail Business UKVirtual station tours to help passengers plan ahead
UK: East Midlands Railway has worked with Virtual Tour Experts Ltd to create online navigation guidance to help passengers with journeys through Derby, Sheffield, Nottingham, Lincoln and Kettering stations. Users can access information about all of the public areas in each station, including toilets, customer service ...
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Rail Business UKModelling tool to optimise DMU fuel consumption
UK: A modelling tool is being developed to help Northern Trains optimise speeds and braking patterns to minimise the fuel consumed by its fleet of 276 diesel multiple-units. The tool will use the specific topography of Northern’s routes, combined with real consumption data. It is being ...
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Rail Business UKDisabled passengers need more reliable assistance, regulator says
UK: More reliable and consistent assistance needs to be provided for disabled passengers, the Office of Rail & Road said when it published its 2023 annual rail consumer report. ORR found that when passengers receive assistance there is high satisfaction, up from 86% to 90% year-on-year, ...
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Metro Report InternationalDocklands Light Railway tests navigation app for visually impaired passengers
UK: The NaviLens app designed to assist blind or partially sighted travellers is to be tested at the Docklands Light Railway’s Cutty Sark, Canary Wharf, Woolwich Arsenal and Tower Gateway stations. Users scan a smart code at the station, and the app’s voice assistant then provides ...
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Metro Report InternationalEasy to use app for more inclusive route planning
GERMANY: Berlin-Brandenburg transport authority VBB has launched VBB Easy, a route planning app designed for ease of use by people with cognitive impairments or mobility limitations, or anyone who prefers a particularly simple app. Developed by Siemens Mobility company Hacon, VBB Easy is designed to have ...
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Rail Business UKRail industry making progress with disability awareness refresher training
UK: Train operators and Network Rail are making progress with disability awareness refresher training, according to a review undertaken by the Office of Rail & Road. ORR requires operators to deliver refresher training on disability and equality every two years, and specifies the competencies that staff ...
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Rail Business UKTrain operator trials assistance app for blind and partially sighted passengers
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is trialling the Aria wayfinding app which connects blind and partially sighted people to a remote adviser who can use the passenger’s smartphone camera to guide them through a station to a member of staff. Passengers at Brighton, Stevenage, London Blackfriars and ...
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Rail Business UKAugmented reality station maps designed to assist passengers
UK: Indoor wayfinding company Briteyellow has created augmented reality maps of six of the largest stations served by Transport for Wales, to help passengers locate facilities such as information screens, lifts, toilets, help points and waiting rooms. It is hoped the AR maps can be used ...
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Rail Business UKEast West Rail’s accessibility panel holds first meeting
UK: Project promoter East West Railway Co has held the inaugural meeting of its Accessibility Advisory Panel, which it believes is the first of its kind for a UK-based company building a new railway The panel of 12 people from along the future Oxford to Cambridge ...
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Rail Business UKSix projects awarded rail accessibility innovation funding
UK: Independent pan-disability body the Northern Accessibility User Group has selected six projects to share funding from Northern’s £250 000 Accessibility Innovation Fund. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will create an Accessibility Hub at the Meadowhall transport interchange in Sheffield. Working with TransPennine Express, this ...
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In depthAustria: A transport network for everyone
Emerging EU legislation on accessibility will put stronger regulatory requirements on public transport operators to ensure their services are open to all. Faced with a mix of modes including a large legacy tramway, Wien operator Wiener Linien is making steady progress towards meeting this challenge. Toma Bačić reports.
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In depthAccessibility: Time to ‘mind the gap’, once and for all
The provision of level boarding between platforms and trains improves accessibility for all passengers, while cutting station dwell times and reducing safety risks. Gareth Dennis looks at the challenges and considers the best way to solve them.
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NewsAutomated train wheelchair lift launched
SWITZERLAND: Högg Group company Simplify Engineering has received the first order for its latest design of automated train-mounted wheelchair lift.
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Metro Report InternationalCaring for Dementia programme uses transport smart cards to find missing people
CHINA: Hong Kong’s MTR Corp has launched a Caring for Dementia programme, adding functions to its fare collection system which alert staff if a missing person is detected in the network. The Octopus smart card numbers of missing persons with dementia can be entered into the ...
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Rail Business UKCustom carpets keeps luggage out of train wheelchair spaces
UK: Wool from more than 30 000 sheep is being used by Axminster Carpets to produce over 20 000 m2 of floor coverings for the refurbishment of the Avanti West Coast Pendolino fleet. The two-year contract to supply carpets for the £117m refurbishment of the 56 ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast launches instant accessibility help channel
UK: Avanti West Coast has launched a WhatsApp channel providing instant access to specialist support for passengers with disabilities. Travel Companion is staffed by members of the inter-city operator’s social media team who have ‘passion and empathy for accessibility’, as well as specialist knowledge. AWC said ...
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Rail Business UKHelping people with non-visible disabilities to Travel with Confidence
UK: Information and training to help people with non-visible disabilities such as autism, anxiety or phobias use public transport is being provided by Hampshire Community Rail Partnership with the support of South Western Railway and Hampshire County Council. The first phase of the Travel with Confidence ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom to replace Philadelphia trolley fleet
USA: The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority board has selected Alstom Transportation to replace its entire Philadelphia trolley fleet with modern vehicles meeting current accessibility standards. The contract announced by SEPTA on February 23 will include a $714m base order for 130 trams to be delivered in ...
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Metro Report InternationalDigital wayfinding to help visually impaired passengers use tram services
ISRAEL: The 114 CAF trams that are scheduled to begin entering service in Jerusalem later this year will be equipped with technology from digital wayfinding company Step-Hear which is designed to make it easier for blind and visually impaired people to travel. The Jerusalem Transportation Masterplan ...
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Rail Business UKNational Centre for Accessible Transport launched
UK: The National Centre for Accessible Transport has been launched to undertake research into ways of ensuring that rail, road, air, sea and other modes are accessible to all. ‘It is vital that we listen to what disabled people have to say about their experiences of ...