Having lived with Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus for all of my life I rely on accessible rail travel to stay as independent as I possibly can. It has been costly for both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway to install accessible waiting spaces and signage at some of the stations they manage.
The operator has spent thousands of pounds on improving the accessibility of the railway under there control for those with disabilities and other mobility issues in recent years.
I hope that the freeze on rail fares will see more funds put into the improvement of the railways in our region for those who need support with getting around independently.
So far a total of 19 railways in the region have waiting spaces and signage on the platforms and those stations are: Aston, Witton Lane, Coventry Arena, The Hawthorns, Kenilworth, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Shenstone, Blake Street, Gravelly Hill, Erdington, Four Oaks, Chester Road, Litchfield City, Lye, Telford Central, Wylde Green, Sutton Coldfield and Selly Oak.
It is hoped that Tile Hill railway station near Coventry will be getting the spaces and signage in the not to distant future, which I hope will help the students of nearby Hereward College to keep some independence when out and about with family and friends.
My message to the teams at both West Midlands Railway & London Northwestern Railway is a clear one and this, “please consider using the funds from rail fares to continue improving the accessibility of the rail network that you manage”.
These improvements are vital to us being able to travel on the railways independently for many years to come, as always if you travel by rail on a regular basis and require assistance to board or disembark services your assisted travel can be booked up to 2 hours before departure in 1 of 3 ways:
By Phone: 0800 024 8998 or by using Next Generation Text – 18001 0800 024 8998.
Online: https://booking.passengerassistance.com.
By using the App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/passenger-assistance/id1542190496.
However you do have a legal right to just turn up and go without booking any assistance prior to travel.
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It is only right that I take this opportunity to thank the incredible teams at West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway for going above and beyond to make these improvements to the rail network in recent years on behalf of those with disabilities and mobility issues, this hasn’t gone unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.
A thank you must also go to you my regular loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest posts, it doesn’t go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.
Cam
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