Campaign for level boarding to be launched
A Campaign for Level Boarding will be launched in early 2020 to raise awareness about the safety, operational and capacity benefits of closing the gap at the platform and train interface, RAIL can exclusively reveal.
The campaign will argue that the problems of a big gap existing at platforms does not just cause misery for disabled passengers, it also increases the overall risk of accidents occurring, as well as increasing the workload of staff and dwell times at stations when ramps are deployed.
The campaign will seek for all new rolling stock to be procured with a sliding step and floor to match or offset the standard platform height. It would also like a rolling programme of platform adjustments to bring all platforms in Great Britain into compliance with the standard Network Rail platform position.
To support this programme, it wants an end to derogations from platform/train interface standards, and the adoption of the more rigorous RVAR standard for all new NR projects.
Jon Hastie, chairman of the Campaign for Level Boarding, said: “As a disabled passenger, travelling by rail means planning well in advance and dealing with frequent problems when staff are unprepared or poorly trained in providing a ramp.
“It’s a constant source of worry that puts many off travelling altogether. We know how to provide independent travel to disabled people. But without concerted action we will continue to lag behind what many other countries now offer.”
Gareth Dennis, campaign member, supporter and railway engineer, added: “The railway industry and Department for Transport have waited too long to resolve the risks at the platform/ train interface.
“Not only does this mean that disabled passengers - or indeed those with buggies or luggage - have a dreadful experience when getting on or off the train, we are risking people’s lives for the sake of not setting that interface to a set of rules agreed long ago. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to aspire to solve that problem.”
To complement the new Campaign, an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Accessible Transport will also be launched in the New Year. It will meet formally for the first time in February or March.
Meetings will be planned on a quarterly basis in the committee rooms at Westminster, and membership will be open to all members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The APPG is expected to be chaired by Florence Eshalomi, pending her election on December 12 (after this issue of RAIL went to press) as the Labour MP for Vauxhall.