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Railway Stations: Visual Impairment

Question for Department for Transport

UIN 164596, tabled on 8 March 2021

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure that there are tactile strips at the edges of all railway station platforms to help people with visual impairments.

Answered on

12 March 2021

Operators involved in the management of stations are responsible for ensuring the safety of all passengers on the premises. The Office of Rail and Roads (ORR) is the safety regulator of Britain’s railway and can take enforcement action if these standards are not met.

There are clear safety and accessibility benefits of installing platform edge tactiles. Whenever the industry installs, replaces or renews platform infrastructure they must install appropriate tactile surfaces. Network Rail has also been asked to develop a programme to ensure all platforms have them installed as quickly as possible.