21.10.13
Accessible travel centres at East Coast stations
East Coast is introducing new accessible counters at its travel centres across the route.
The counter has been trialled with different groups to find the optimal design, and Newcastle was among the first to benefit as part of the £8.6m refurbishment of the station.
New counters have been introduced over the last six weeks at Retford, Newark North Gate, Grantham and Doncaster stations. The roll-out will continue over the next two months.
East Coast property and projects director Tim Hedley-Jones said: “The new travel counter design, at Newcastle and other East Coast stations, will make buying tickets a more comfortable experience. Transport facility specialists Ian Rowe Associates worked with us to develop the new counters, which benefit from an ergonomic design, positioned at the optimal height for customers and staff alike.
“We received valuable advice from transport watchdog Passenger Focus and from a number of accessibility groups to help shape the design of our new counters. Prototypes of the new counters were also trialled by over forty East Coast staff at Doncaster and Darlington stations prior to the rollout of the new facilities.”
Passenger Focus manager Guy Dangerfield said: “East Coast deserves credit for employing an ergonomics specialist to help build a prototype ticket desk, researching how well it met passengers’ and staff needs and gradually refining the design until it was ready to be rolled out. A great little detail is the ‘notch’ to stop a walking stick or umbrella falling to the floor while a passenger is buying their ticket.”
Network Rail area director Mark Tarry said: “The programme of transformation we are completing with East Coast will help passengers to get the best from the listed building. Key to this is getting high quality and user friendly passenger facilities, of which this new travel centre is the first, crucial part.”
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