No passenger left behind: Turning rail accessibility into reality

The urgency of railway accessibility

Are you uncomfortable with railway accessibility? Good! I'm going to make you a little more uncomfortable. Around 24% of the EU population identifies as having a disability, and the lack of accessibility in tourism represents an annual loss of 142 billion euros.

If we take the United Kingdom as an example, at the current pace, it would take over 200 yearsfor all train stations to become accessible to wheelchair users, and over 300 yearsfor all London Underground stations, not counting other groups who also face barriers.

This is not just the case for infrastructure. The pace of buying new trains also varies significantly, with clear impacts on accessibility, meaning that some people will have to wait many more decades before they can use a train like everyone else. And I'm not even counting countries that are very far behind on this, where people may have to wait several hundred or even thousands of years for accessible railways.

This time perspective should drive all of us to care about accessibility in ways that generate greater impact and reduce differences between countries.

Beyond physical barriers: understanding diverse needs

Interestingly, we have figured out most of the most complex aspects of physical accessibility for trains and train stations. Ramps, lifts, level boarding, toilets, and many other accessibility features are already developed and tested. If they are good? This, we are yet to fully understand, as nothing is perfect for every single person.

However, one thing we haven't figured out yet: what to do when someone's need is not a ramp?

If you require access to information, or an environment with low sensory stimulation, or any other feature that is not within mainstream accessibility, you are likely to still find it very hard to access railways. We are still not sure what to do, how to welcome everybody, or how to address several different needs that are not fully understood or identified.

With so many layers of issues, there is hope that someday someone will find a solution that fixes everything. Something like a Higgs boson [1]- a fundamental but hard-to-observe element that enables a system to function - that will generate a universe where all trains and train stations are fully accessible. Where no one is left behind and every need is met by design.

In reality, we might well not have any of this. To start, we need a coherent vision for railways, defining what we want and how fast we want to get there. For this, we must start a conversation with passengers to understand what's missing and what we should prioritise.

Not sure where to start? No worries, there are tools out there, such as the TRIPS Project co-design toolkit, which is the result of an EU project that directly involved persons with disabilities. Engaging directly with persons with disabilities is essential to begin addressing accessibility within the railways, rather than treating it as an afterthought added at the end of the process.

It is necessary not to spend time and money on bad solutions, which implies co-designing them with end users.

From commitments to concrete action

Stick to the plan! In the European Union, we have the TEN-T. This master plan identifies the main corridors for transport networks and the areas where we must work on interoperability and multimodality.

However, there are still countries that say 'not now' or sign agreements and then don't respect them. It is time to follow the plans, set realistic goals, secure funding, and implement projects that will, in fact, generate impact. It is also essential to work on this for networks within each country, which are often left behind. While this might not sound useful for accessibility, it is important because it implies that as work progresses, more parts of the network will become accessible, allowing us to implement solutions that are easier to use and design.

Level-boarding is one such solution that is only possible when we work together, not only by talking to those who use trains, but also with specialists agreeing on key aspects of the network, making these solutions easy to design and deploy to the public.

Accessibility benefits everyone!

Level-boarding sounds very difficult, but in fact, everyone benefits as it makes it easier for everyone, regardless of ability, to board and alight trains. Toilets that are big enough, well-lit, and that clearly indicate whether they are locked? Can you hear the person at the ticket office? Is it easy to read the information panels at the train station? All of these are accessibility features that benefit everyone. Designed to meet the requirements of persons with disabilities, they end up improving railways for everyone.

This is especially important to validate the need for investment in accessibility. Investing might sound expensive, and people usually think only a small percentage will benefit from these investments, but that's not the case. Even if we only talk about persons with disabilities, we are talking about somewhere between 10% to 25% of the population. This is not a small group to be left behind.

Buying new and shiny trains is not your thing? Well, you can adapt the ones you have. There are solutions for retrofitting trains with ramps, lifts, information systems, and many other pieces of equipment that make them more usable and accessible.

The fact that you can't buy new ones, or it will take a few decades to do so, should not prevent you from doing something. Use this as an advantage to make the case for new ones. If better accessibility attracts more passengers, this will create pressure to buy new, more accessible and comfortable trains.

Information and innovation as enablers

Information is key! Accessibility information remains an issue, and what we have is often of poor quality. There are information standards that already include embedded accessibility fields, helping make apps and websites more accessible. Standards such as GTFSare essential for spreading information that is not only accessible but also includes which trains and train stations are accessible. Therefore, we should work to provide reliable, relevant, and open information so everyone can make their own decisions about when and how to travel.

Think outside of the box! In the UK, SWRis working on an AI solution to translate sound announcements into sign language. NS, in the Netherlands, uses an appto provide in-depth information about accessibility, including which side of the train the platform is on, any extra accessibility requirements, and how to request assistance. Innovation can make the difference between a well-executed trip and one that doesn't happen at all.

All of this sounds difficult? There is help available. Here are some organisations, projects, and information for you to look into. Remember, this might feel overwhelming, but break it into small pieces and work on each one at a time.

What can you do now?

Set up an advisory board with persons with disabilities and representative organisations.
Organise your goals and create priorities. Try to identify gaps in the network.
Make information public, including indicators, timelines, and projects under development.

Who can support you?

Persons with Disabilities Organisations:

European Network on Independent Living

European Disability Forum

Fundación ONCE

Legal frameworks to guide action:

European Accessibility Act

UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities

Trans European Network - Transport

Persons with Reduced Mobility - Technical Specifications for Interoperability

EU passenger rights legal framework

Projects and expert groups:

TRIPS Project

Accessible EU

UIC Passage Group

UITP Accessibility Work Group

Author: Diogo Martins

With the input by: Stefania Pesavento

[1] The Higgs boson | CERN