Belgian railway to make 176 out of 555 stations fully accessible
Belgian railway company SNCB aims to make 176 of the 555 train stations in Belgium fully accessible by 2032.
In the past year, SNCB has made six extra stations fully accessible, so that at the moment 106 of stations have the necessary facilities for people with limited sight and mobility and people who use wheelcharis. Four years ago, only 78 stations had those facilities.
To be fully or autonomously accessible, a train station needs to have a ramp or lift to each platform. The platforms should be 76cm high and need to be equipped with tactile strips for the visually impaired. There should also be at least one accessible ticket machine with an assistance button, allowing travellers to immediately contact an employee who can take over the operation of the machine remotely.
'Lack of ambition'
SNCB wants to have 176 accessible stations by 2032. 70 per cent of train passengers take the train at those 176 stations, the company says.
Passengers' association TreinTramBus is not impressed. "This shows a lack of ambition on the part of SNCB," president Peter Meukens told VRT. "What use is the fact that 176 stations will be accessible if, as a wheelchair user, you can easily get on the train at Antwerp Central, but cannot get off on arrival at the station of Zedelgem, for example?"
"More is really needed for people with reduced mobility," said Veerle Baert, who works as a lecturer at the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences in Ghent and uses a wheelchair. “If not, they risk being condemned to stay indoors at home, or to pay for an expensive taxi ride if they are unable to drive themselves."
#FlandersNewsService | A woman in a wheelchair waiting for on a railway platform © PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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