Arriva Trains Wales has announced that the Cambrian Railway line has received the first accessible train as part of a plan to make sure all services are fully accessible for rail passengers with reduced mobility.
By the end of 2019, all trains will be compliant with the EU regulations known as ‘Persons of Reduced Mobility', or PRM for short.
These regulations mean that people with reduced mobility can now use the train in the same way as a person with full mobility.
Whilst a number of Arriva's fleet of trains are compliant with the requirements, some of the older trains do not meet these yet. Arriva is now working in partnership with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to make sure these trains are compliant in time for the legal deadline.
The update includes accessible toilets, wheelchair storage space, grab handles and clear colour coordination within each carriage, for those with visual impairments.
The first train to receive the modifications to become PRM compliant was 158 822.
What did the officials say?
Bethan Jelfs, Customer Services Director at Arriva, said:
“We are committed to ensuring all of our customers enjoy high-quality services while travelling along the network.
“While much of our additional rolling stock is already fully-accessible, it is just as important that we make sure our existing stock is also compliant. The improvements will make a huge difference to passengers with restricted mobility, visual and hearing impairments.
“We are delighted to welcome the newly modified train back onto the Cambrian line as a part of this programme of investment across the whole fleet. This means that our services are more accessible to all passengers than ever before.”
Alexia Course, Director of Rail Operations at Transport for Wales, said:
“I'm pleased to welcome these modified carriages to the network. This is the first step in a major programme of refurbishments that will improve the rail service for people with reduced mobility.
“Improving accessibility for passengers is a priority for Transport for Wales and as part of our future plans we'll also be improving accessibility at stations, providing staff training to improve the service we offer to passengers with assistance needs. We'll also be introducing technology that will improve the way assistance can be booked.”
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For more information
A second one has now been done, 158-831.