Network Rail has announced that Sunflower Lanyards are now available for rail passengers with hidden disabilities to show they might need extra help.
The lanyards and ticket wallets are now available at Victoria, London Bridge, Charing Cross, Cannon St, Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Guildford in Surrey.
Passengers can collect the lanyards and wallets from any of the train operator information points at these stations, including ticket offices.
All Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway, South Western Railway and Southeastern station staff have been briefed to understand what the lanyards mean. Staff will wear sunflower badges so passengers can approach them for help.
The sunflower lanyards aim to help passengers with hidden disabilities such as:
- autism and Asperger's
- learning disabilities
- dementia
- mobility issues (e.g arthritis, MS, ME, chronic illness)
- visual or hearing impairments.
Ticket wallets allow extra discretion so that passengers only disclose when they need help, rather than a lanyard which is visible to everyone.
What did the officials say?
Nicole Cohen-Wray, Network Rail's Station Transformation Programme Lead for the Southern Region, said:
“Travelling by train for passengers with hidden disabilities can be quite daunting and we're always looking at ways we can make their journeys easier. The sunflower symbol is the perfect way for passengers to discreetly identify themselves to our staff, so we can do everything possible to make their journeys as smooth as possible.”
Daniel Burn, the Gatwick Express manager for Gatwick Airport station, said:
“This is another way for Gatwick Express partnerships to deliver better experiences for all our passengers. With Gatwick Airport being one of the first to support the sunflower lanyard scheme, this extension of the scheme now supports the whole journey, including train to plane.”
Sophie Hill, Southern's Area Station Manager, said:
“This is another option to help everyone to travel with greater confidence that they'll get the support they need on their journeys. It's a helpful addition to our existing travel support tools; including our travel support cards, priority seat cards and baby-on-board badges.”
SWR's Accessibility and Inclusion Manager, Michael Adlington said
“This is a great initiative. We hope that this increases the confidence of any disabled customers travelling through Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Guildford. We hope to extend the scheme to the rest of the South Western Railway network in the near future.”
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