Disabled TfW rail passenger told to sit by train doors – BBC News

7 comments
  1. What’s the problem here? I constantly have to stand by the doors.

    Perhaps just turn your wheelchair 90 degrees if you’re worried about rolling out.

  2. “Try walking a mile in someone else’s shoes” is the best way of describing the disgrace of rail travel for disabled people.

    I broke my ankle badly in Edinburgh and had to catch a train back to Peterborough. I hired a wheelchair and advised both ends. Waverley got me on safely…but because the train was delayed, Peterborough just assumed I wouldn’t be needing the ramp or help. I then pulled into the station with no means of getting off, blocking others from getting off (already angry) and then having a station helper suggesting I should jump from the train and he would catch me!

    When I mentioned this to them in feedback their attitude was that it was my choice to travel

  3. As someone who uses the train as a cyclist often, the truth is there just aren’t enough of these spaces on trains at the moment.

    These “Utility spaces” are meant for disabled passengers, pushchairs and bikes, which isn’t a good idea in the first place; but I often find that trains I use often have only one of these per train, despite being three long and not that busy.

    I’ve often seen wheelchairs, pushchairs and bikes crammed into the available space, overflowing into the doors on trains with few passengers. And this is assuming that the space isn’t full of luggage. And this obviously is an inconvenience for all involved.

    Personally I would make it so all the carriages have these spaces; priority rules while good wouldn’t solve the issue as effectively although both would be best.

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