DfT supports rail accessibility projects

The Department for Transport has awarded a total of £600,000 to seven projects aimed at improving accessibility of rail services for passengers with disabilities.

It follows a competition run by the RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board) to find new solutions for passengers with disabilities. The successful projects include: ■ Accessibility Evaluation Survey for Stations - a tool to help identify problems and prioritise improvements. ■ Less Visible Impairments - a study to increase frontline staff’s understanding of hidden disabilities. ■ Rail4All - an application which helps station staff prioritise requests from disabled passengers. ■ Accessible Journey Pocket Assistant - a journey planner which provides bespoke trip guidance.

Also receiving funding are a new website called Nodality, which provides detailed information on stations, and applications Signify (for people who use sign language) and Aubin (which is designed for people with autism).

Transport Accessibility Minister Nusrat Ghani said: “I am determined to make sure that our railways are accessible to everyone, and that we remove any barriers faced by people with a disability.

“Everyone deserves the right to travel independently and with confidence. I am delighted that these innovative projects have been picked to improve people’s journeys and look forward to seeing how they benefit passengers in the years to come.”