Disabled People Put Off Travelling on Trains

Train Journey. Image © Disabled Holiday Info Ltd

The inaccessibility of Wales’s railway stations put disabled people off travelling on trains, according to evidence given to the Equality of Opportunity Committee.

The committee was gathering evidence for its inquiry into the accessibility of railway stations on 20 April 2010.

The aim of the inquiry is to see what the assembly government and other key organisations could do to improve access to railway stations in Wales.

According to MS Society Cymru, 83% of stations in Wales are unstaffed and only six stations are staffed 24 hours a day.

Joseph Carter, the Policy, Press and Campaigns Manager for the MS Society Cymru, said that this “makes it very difficult” for people who are reliant on help.

Rhyan Berrigan, the Policy Officer (Access and Transport) for Disability Wales, said that people with disabilities are put off travelling on trains because they are made to feel “like an inconvenience”.

She added that the onus is on the disabled person to find help, rather than staff offering help, and called for greater equality awareness training for staff.

Anthony Wiggins, from MS Society Cymru, also said that it was difficult to travel without forward planning, as a disabled person had to find out about access to stations and give 24 hours notice for assistance.

Representatives from Disability Wales, MS Society Cymru, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and Wales Council for Deaf People were present to give evidence to the committee.

Source: BBC News