Whilst waiting for trains back into New Street station in Birmingham from Witton after Aston Villa women’s 0-3 defeat to Arsenal at Villa Park in the last few hours, I wasn’t seen by train crew at the station.
As those reading this will know I have been working with the accessibility team at West Midlands railway for the best part of the last 3 years on a project to improve the accessibility of stations they manage for passengers with disabilities or mobility issues.
In 2024 blue and white boxes which feature a white wheelchair logo along with the words “ for mobility assistance, please wait here” were installed on the platforms at the station.
There is signage positioned directly above the spaces mirroring the same messaging that can be seen from each end of the platforms.
Due to the volume of supporters from Villa and Arsenal on the platforms I got swallowed up and could not been seen by train crew on despite being in one of the spaces which was disappointing.
It is fair to say that I feel like we have taken a step back when it comes being supported at Witton when travelling by rail to and from matches at Villa Park.
The only sliver lining of this afternoon’s experience was the fact that the passenger assistance team at New Street station ensured that I got home safely to Hereford.
My message to the team at West Midlands Railway is this, today it feels like we have taken a giant step backwards in ensuring that our community can travel with ease on the railways.
Today I was failed and that makes me incredibly sad and frustrated, please learn from this experience going forward.
We dont want to take a step backwards when we have come so far in recent years around this issue.
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Cam
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