📋 Tender Overview
To make train journeys less exciting, visually impaired and blind children from the Visio expertise centre made an 'experience trip' from Eindhoven to Weert on Thursday 15 February. NS organised this trip. The carrier hopes that this experience will give children confidence to take the train together with a companion.
How train travel works
"It's also instructive for us," says station manager Joost van Heeckeren. "We can see what the children have to deal with, what questions they have and how travelling by train can be made easier."
For children with visual impairments, it can be exciting to travel by train. NS believes it is important that everyone feels welcome on the train. Station manager Joost van Heeckeren explained to the children of Visio how train travel works and also what can be found on the train and at the station for people with a visual impairment.
Experience together
"Travelling by train is great fun, especially for children," says the station manager. "But if you have poor eyesight or are blind, it makes it extra exciting. Travelling by train with a visual impairment is quite possible. I hope that with this explanation and experience we can give the children confidence, so that they can travel more easily by train together with a companion or parent. It's also educational for us, by the way."
The group of twenty visually impaired and blind children between the ages of 4 and 12 made an experiential journey from Eindhoven station to Weert. One of the participating children: "This was the first time I travelled by train. I found it a bit exciting. The gentleman who gave the explanation was very nice and could tell well. I'd like to travel by train more often and I'm going to ask mom and dad."
Various facilities at stations
There are various facilities for people with visual impairments at the station and on the train. Think of tactile signs and braille on, for example, the ticket machine, the banisters and the elevators. ProRail has also laid guide lines to a ticket machine, the OV Service & Tickets shops and the check-in and check-out posts or gates. Here you can find everything you need to know about the accessibility of stations.
