13.11.13
East Midlands Trains introduces easy-access station maps
New maps are to be installed at East Midlands Trains stations to improve access for visually impaired people and passengers with learning difficulties.
The improvements will be complete at Chesterfield, Kettering and Nottingham stations by March 2014.
The initiative has been developed in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and will provide a guide to main station facilities. It can be read by sight or touch, with a mix of textures, large raised print, Braille and visual symbols.
A trial of audio hand-held Braille and large print maps will also take place at Nottingham to aid navigation.
Andy Moore, head of stations for East Midlands Trains, said: “We already have information zones at our stations which group information into categories such as station, train and onward travel information, but these maps will make it even easier for those who find it difficult to read information in poster format to find key information about the station they are in.”
Sue King, tactile images and maps consultant for the RNIB said: “Blind and partially sighted people often have great difficulty in comprehending the layout of railway stations because they are unable to look around them in the same way that sighted people can. By providing these maps, East Midlands Trains is allowing blind and partially sighted people, in particular, independent access to information that is crucial when using the stations.”
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Image shows a tactile map in use at Hove Station.