UK: Project promoter East West Railway Co has held the inaugural meeting of its Accessibility Advisory Panel, which it believes is the first of its kind for a UK-based company building a new railway
The panel of 12 people from along the future Oxford to Cambridge route has been established to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered early in the design and construction stages.
Meetings are to be held every two to three months, with panel members paid a nominal fee of £50 per meeting plus expenses.
‘For far too long, accessibility has been a last thought’, said panel member Stephen Liney on May 19. ‘It’s time for more organisations to set up access panels and learn from people who live the disabled experience, we are the ones who can add value to your service and change perspective on disability which is urgently required.’
