Aston station which is situated a 5 to 10 minute walk or wheel away from Villa Park on the other side of the stadium to Witton station and is ready to welcome supporters ahead of our final UEFA Champions League tie against Scottish premiership champions Celtic.
The team from West Midlands Trains (WMT) installed accessible waiting spaces on both platforms at the station in May last year (2024) after I met with them at neighbour Witton to discuss the challenges that I and others with mobility issues faced when travelling on the railway.
I started campaigning for better access at the station on behalf of the disabled football supporters and local residents who use Aston station on a regular basis to travel around the West Midlands.
In February 2023 I felt like it was time to say enough was enough, we the disabled community are sick to the back teeth of encountering issues every time that we travel from the station, we deserve an acceptable level of service just like our able-bodied counterparts.
As you will know by now I wrote to Aston Villa about the issue of accessibility at the station for those who use wheelchairs, mobility scooters and other walking aids and they passed my letter onto the team at West Midlands Trains (WMT).
On the 28th of November, 2023 I finally met with senior officials from the operator so that they could see for themselves the issues that I and others were facing when travelling to and from unstaffed railway stations across the region.
Once I had shared my experiences with the team I asked if it would be possible for them to install waiting spaces at the station in a bid to improve the match-day experience of disabled supporters, much to my surprise they agreed to this suggestion.
Two different types of signage have been placed on the platforms and they are:
A blue and white box that is painted on the station platform floors with a white wheelchair logo and the words “for mobility assistance, please wait here” inside.
A blue and white fence sign that has been mounted on a mental station platform fence with a white wheelchair logo and the words “for mobility assistance, please wait here” inside.
Those who require assisted travel when attending this evening’s match it can be booked in the following ways, this can be done up to 2 hours before travel:
By Phone: 0800 024 8998 or by using Next Generation Text – 18001 0800 024 8998.
Online: https://booking.passengerassistance.com.
Using the App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/passenger-assistance/id1542190496.
If you enjoyed reading this post about the accessibility of Aston station for those using wheelchairs, mobility scooters and walking aids ahead of Aston Villa’s clash with Celtic this evening then why not subscribe and receive my posts direct to your inbox within minutes of publication.
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I would once again like to place on record my thanks to the incredible team at West Midlands Trains who delivered on what I suggested in November 2023 as fast as was physically possible, it hasn’t gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated.
A thanks must also go to you, my loyal readers and followers who take time out of there busy schedules each week to read my latest post, again it doesn’t go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.
Cam
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