I am on the verge of tears as the waiting spaces and signage have just been installed at Tile Hill railway station near Coventry after a year of being the voice for the students at Hereward College on the issue of accessibility at the station.
The last 2 years has seen me continually ask the team at London Northwestern Railway who manage the railway line between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street if Tile Hill station could have the waiting spaces and signage installed on the platforms.
High speed trains pass through the station on there way to London which mean’t that installing the waiting spaces and signage at station wasn’t a simple yes or no answer, the safety of passengers standing or sitting of the platforms had to be considered all times during the decision making process by the operator.
Finally in December 2025 I received the best news yet when I was told that the station at received health and safety sign off, meaning that the months of asking London Northwestern Railway, the same question over and over again ” can Tile Hill station have the waiting spaces and signage on the platforms” has paid off.
Blue and white boxes featuring a white wheelchair logo and of course the words ” for mobility assistance, please wait here” along with signage mirroring the same messaging have been positioned on the platforms facing the same direction of travel for the trains.
My message to the students at Hereward, is clear and is this, 2 years ago when I started working with London Northwestern Railway/ West Midlands Railway on this project I asked the question on your behalf ” can Tile Hill station have the waiting spaces and signage on the platforms”, this was because I understand more than most what benefit these tools at the station will have for each and everyone of you.
12 years ago I began independently travelling home to Hereford every Friday evening by rail from Tile Hill station as a 16/17 year old and I must admit that wasn’t easy during rush hour.
When I first arrived at the college in the September of 2012 I hated travelling by rail because of the previous experiences I had with rail travel as a wheelchair user prior to starting at the college.
In the years since I knew that I wanted to ensure that the you, the current cohort of students and the ones that will follow you in the years to come have options of how they can travel into the likes of Coventry and Birmingham with friends or family, this is where the idea of waiting spaces and signage came to mind.
This is 100% for you and was never about me as an individual all I wanted to do was use my voice to make a real difference for those who don’t know how to or are unable to speak out for themselves.
Anyone, who wants to travel by rail and requires some assistance to board or disembark services can book there assisted travel 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.
Using the App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/passenger-assistance/id1542190496.
However you do have a legal right to just turn up at a railway station and travel without booking any assistance prior to travel.
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As always I would like to place on record my appreciation and thanks to the incredible team at London Northwestern Railway who have gone both above and beyond in the last couple of years to make the rail network that they manage accessible to all, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
A thank you must also go to each and everyone of you, my loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of there busy schedules to read my latest posts, again it doesn’t go unnoticed and is very much appreciated.
Cam
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