Thameslink has introduced an audio guide for its fleet of 115 trains, created with the assistance of Dave Smith, a blind passenger from Redhill, Surrey. Dave, who is a member of Thameslink’s Accessibility Advisory Panel, shared his insights to enhance services for disabled passengers.
He explained, “I use these trains all the time but for someone else who is blind or partially sighted it can be incredibly daunting. When you can’t see, it’s difficult to understand your environment and what’s around you.
“Anyone can log onto the Thameslink website and listen to this audio guide before setting off, helping them understand the train layout before they travel, helping reduce any anxieties.
“It describes such things as where they might find a toilet – and its layout – and where and how to contact the driver in an emergency. The guide gives them access to information that sighted travellers take for granted.”
Thameslink Class 700 trains, which make millions of trips annually, connect various stations north and south of the River Thames, including Bedford, Brighton, Cambridge, Horsham, Gatwick Airport, London St Pancras, Peterborough, Sutton, and Sevenoaks.
The audio guide, available on the Assisted Travel pages of Thameslink’s website, covers features such as:
- Accessible carriages located in the centre of the train, equipped with wheelchair spaces and an accessible toilet, and level boarding at stations between London St Pancras and London Bridge.
- Doors that open into a pocket in the train wall and emit a bleeping noise before closing.
- Handrails with good colour contrast and a central grab pole in the vestibule.
- Two-by-two seating with wide corridors and open access between carriages.
- Large luggage racks.
- Automated announcements throughout the journey.
- Toilet layouts, including the location of the washbasin, flush button, and lock lever.
- The button to speak to the driver and how to sound the alarm.
Antony Merlyn, Thameslink’s Accessibility Engagement Manager, who collaborated with Dave on the guide, stated, “Dave has a unique insight into the challenges for blind or partially sighted travelling by train.”
“We hope this audio guide gives people the added confidence to travel with us and regain their independence.”
Additional audio guides are planned. Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern, Gatwick Express, and Great Northern trains in addition to Thameslink, has provided a grant to the Thomas Pocklington Trust, a national sight loss charity, to develop audio guides for three more train types and to trial guides for six stations: Eastbourne, Brighton, Sutton, Blackfriars, Stevenage, and Luton Airport Parkway.
Photo credits: Thameslink