First Capital Connect this week hosted a ‘Try a Train Day’ to provide blind and partially sighted people with the confidence to travel by rail.
The event was supported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and was attended by 28 blind or partially sighted people and 13 companions.
The event started at King’s Cross Station where upon arrival attendees were provided with an induction that covered a number of issues that the blind or partially sighted usually find challenging, including the navigation of station environments and purchasing tickets.
Following a tour of King’s Cross Station everyone boarded a private return rail service to Peterborough where guests were briefed on finding train toilets and how to move between carriages.
The passengers were also provided with lunch and given the opportunity to ask members of FCC’s Customer Services team any questions they had.
Lee Millard, FCC’s Customer Relations Manager, said:
“Rail travel is available to everyone and at FCC we wanted to show blind and partially sighted how easy it is to access the railways.
“Some of the people that attended our Try a Train Day had not been on a train for several years and I hope this has provided them with the confidence to travel by rail more often.”
Jenny Parker, RNIB’s Business and Partnership Development Executive, said:
“At RNIB we are delighted to have worked in collaboration with FCC on this Try a Train Day. It proved an incredibly popular event with demand for places exceeding availability.
“We believe that the information and experience gained by the blind and partially sighted people who took part will help to boost their confidence and encourage them to travel by train more frequently, be it independently or with a companion.”
