Guide to train travel for autistic passengers

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Global Railway Review

Network Rail releases guide to travelling by train for autistic passengers

A new travel guide has been published by Network Rail so that autistic passengers can feel more confident to travel independently by train.

Network Rail’s new travel guide for autistic people has been developed in partnership with the National Autistic Society (NAS), after research was conducted with groups that represent passengers with specific needs, to investigate additional ways the railway could be made more accessible for everyone.

The online guide shows the sights and sounds passengers could expect to experience when using the railway. It covers every stage of a journey, from purchasing tickets, to getting to the right platform, to finding a seat on the train. It has links to examples of sounds that could be heard at a busy station and photographs of everything from common signs, departure boards, and uniformed staff to ask for help. It also offers advice on how to get to a station and what to bring.

“After conversations with the NAS it became clear that we could do more to help prepare autistic people for travelling by train,” said Susan Holden, Network Rail’s stations Customer Experience Manager. “Stations can be noisy and busy places, and although our staff are very well trained to provide assistance, and to recognise when people may need extra help, we also realise that some people may be put off travelling as they simply don’t know what to expect.

I am looking around to see if I can find a link to the guide itself  ...

[grahame]

I am looking around to see if I can find a link to the guide itself  ...

Google is my friend:
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Autism-friendly-guide-to-travelling-by-train.pdf

And it also reveals other publicity / press sources from last month covering the same story.

Edit - added to member's archive / mirror at http://www.passenger.chat/Autism-friendly-guide-to-travelling-by-train.pdf

[Trowres]

It must be very hard to write a guide such as this to cover a diverse spectrum of persons. Some of the content may well be of use to anyone who hasn't used trains...in this country.

Some of the statements seem to be optimistic or misleading.

There may be a train manager on your train who you can ask for help; this could be done verbally or by using a communication device or card

Just how would you know whether or not there was a train manager and where to find them when you need them? What do you do when the said person is behind a door marked "private" (or similar)?

You’ll find toilets throughout our stations.

OK, so this is a NR^» (Network Rail - home page) publication and the statement might be true for the NR-managed stations. But this is a guide to travelling by train; not just big stations.

And when attempting to leave the train:

If you have trouble with the door, ask a member of staff to help you

And if your train has a 30s dwell time and there is no member of staff nearby? (I think this one will panic most people!)

[ellendune]

I was once on a crowded train (a 158) where the doors in our carriage failed to open at Ashchurch.  The conductor was on the platform and not looking. By the time people had moved to the next carriage the doors were shut and we were moving again. There were a lot of very angry passengers at Cheltenham!