Press Release: Rail transport: Commission seeks to improve access to rail travel for persons with disabilities and passengers with reduced mobility

The European Commission is making accessibility an essential requirement for rail infrastructure when newly built, upgraded or renewed. Accessibility can be achieved by preventing or removing barriers and through other measures such as provision of assistance. The rules apply to infrastructure (e.g. obstacle-free routes, ticketing, information desks, toilets, visual and spoken information, platform width and height, and boarding aids) and to rail carriages (e.g. doors, toilets, wheelchair spaces, and information).

Having common rules on accessibility at EU level enhances and facilitates the travel experience across the EU of persons with disabilities and all those whose mobility is reduced, for example by the natural ageing process, temporary impairments due to accidents, or by travelling with children. Accessibility features also improve the overall quality of the transport experience for all passengers, and help with implementation by the rail sector since one common solution will work across the EU. In these times of austerity, having coherent rules across the EU is an effective way to reduce costs and technical hurdles.

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