Making Rail Accessible Helping our Older and Disabled Guests

Transcription

1 Making Rail Accessible Helping our Older and Disabled Guests Provisional from 5th January 2015 to 31st March 2015 sleeper.scot

2 2 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE Contents 1. Serco is proud to run the Caledonian Sleeper 4 2. Policy summary Review and update Stakeholders Assistance for guests Passenger assist system 7 3. Alternative assistance transport Disruption Guest information Tickets and fares Disabled persons railcard At stations Station entrances Help points Aural and visual information Information display points Ticket machines Ticket gates Luggage Wheelchairs and scooters Guide dogs Left luggage Ramps Showers 17

3 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS 3 5. Train information Aural and visual information Making connections Connections to other train services Connections with other transport providers Disruption Planned disruption Contact details Alternative formats 20 Appendix a: Accessible station facilities 22

4 4 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE 1 Serco is proud to run the Caledonian Sleeper At the heart of the new service will be outstanding hospitality that is emblematic of the best of Scotland. We will strive to improve accessibility of our service, as improving access for disabled guests brings broader benefits to others, including older people, expectant mothers and parents with small children. Our Disabled People s Protection Policy (DPPP) sets out current arrangements for meeting the needs of guests who are disabled, or whose mobility is impaired. It also details our plans for further improving accessibility and on board services that will benefit all guests who choose to travel with us.

5 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS 5 2 Policy summary We are committed to maintaining and improving current standards of accessibility to our services for our older and disabled guests as well as all other guests under the Equality Act Our policy is to work and engage with groups representing disabled people and other stakeholders such as Mobility Access Committee Scotland (MACS). Creating an Accessible Travel Group We will create an Accessible Travel Group. This will comprise of stakeholders such as Mobility Access Committee Scotland (MACS), our accessibility advisers and other relevant stakeholders. This group will meet every six months to review the service offered to our older and disabled guests and offer suggestions for improvement and will be chaired by the Guest Experience Director. Where appropriate, the suggestions will be taken forward and incorporated into our service. Investment in new rolling stock The Caledonian Sleeper will benefit from an investment of over 100m in new coaches from Transport Scotland. We will hold a design review process in 2015, open to all stakeholders, to ensure that we can incorporate feedback to improve accessibility of our trains. 2.1 Review and Update We will review all of our policies annually, including this DPPP (both guest-facing document and policy) and incorporate all relevant feedback we receive to improve our service to older and disabled guests.

6 6 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE 2.2 Stakeholders We will use our direct involvement and feedback from disabled people, and organisations with an interest in disability access improvements, as an additional input to the work we do with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), other Train Operating Companies, Transport Scotland (TS), Department for Transport (DfT), and Network Rail (NR) to make further enhancements to the Passenger Assist System such as: making it easier and reducing the time required to book assistance before travelling making it easier for repeat bookings for assisted travel service to be made sending cancellation s to manned stations to advise staff at these stations if a guest who has booked an assisted travel service has changed their travel plans liaising with relevant station operator if a guest has booked assistance at an unmanned station and let the guest know the relevant arrangements Our DPPP will be available from 1st April If you wish to view more detail on this policy please contact our Guest Services Centre to request a copy which will be sent to you within seven days of receiving the request. 2.3 Assistance for guests We are fully committed to Passenger Assist. Passenger Assist is the nationwide system for booking travel assistance. All GB train operators use a common booking system that allows you to book assistance for your travel to anywhere on the National Rail network. This system is capable of sending an confirmation of your journey provided you book in advance and have provided an address at the time of booking.

7 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS 7 How to book Passenger Assist Services 1. Book via our website at sleeper.scot 2. Call our Guest Services Centre (GSC) on this free number Tel: (Textphone ) 3. Text Relay Service: (for hard of hearing). 4. You can also book at any railway station with a ticket office across Great Britain We recommend that travel assistance is ideally booked when you book your journey and at the latest by 3pm on the day of travel. This ensures that we are able to make necessary arrangements to meet your access needs to get on and off the train. When assistance has not been booked in advance, we will still try to provide the assistance required but we cannot always guarantee that help will be available. We also encourage you to provide us with your mobile number and address when booking so that we can contact you if disruption occurs and to keep you informed of alternative arrangements to make your journey as enjoyable as possible Passenger Assist System Passenger Assist allows you to: purchase travel tickets book assistance in advance for your journey request help to enter the station from the taxi rank, where staff other than booking office staff are available book seat and berth reservations make onward travel reservations on services operated by other train companies where reservation is available arrange assistance to and from connecting train services

8 8 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE check the accessibility of our rolling stock and the stations we serve. When using this system, we can provide you with information such as: which stations are accessible and which stations may have temporary or physical constraints that may prevent you from using that particular station. If this is the case we can arrange transport to enable you to join/ leave our service at the nearest accessible station. See section 3.1 for more details of this additional service. All of the stations we serve are operated by other Train Operating Companies. For the most upto-date information, including recently installed facilities available at stations, please visit sleeper.scot. You can also visit the National Rail Enquiries website. This holds the website in the Stations Made Easy format for easy navigation. It can be found at nationalrailenquiries.co.uk or via the station operator s website, nationalrail.co.uk. Network Rail operates Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central High Level and London Euston stations. Assistance at these stations is delivered by Network Rail, although it can be booked through our Guest Services Centre (GSC). ScotRail operates the other 41 stations that we serve in Scotland. Assistance on station is provided by ScotRail station staff but it can be booked through our Guest Services Centre. Virgin Trains is responsible for the management of Carlisle, Preston and Crewe. Assistance on station is provided by ScotRail station staff but it can be booked through our Guest Services Centre. London Midland is responsible for the management of Watford Junction. Assistance on

9 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS 9 station is provided by London Midland station staff but it can be booked through our Guest Services Centre. Disabled guests should advise either the Guest Services Centre in advance of their journey, or Caledonian Sleeper customer service staff at the time of boarding, if they would require any particular assistance in the event of an emergency. Guests who will require assistance at stations are strongly advised to plan their journey in advance, and to book their assistance accordingly through the Passenger Assist system. Details of times when assistance can be provided at stations are shown within the stations pages on the National Rail Enquiries website. 3 Alternative assistance transport 3.1 Disruption If you cannot access the platform or board the train at your nearest station, then we will provide alternative accessible transport to the nearest accessible station. If you wish to receive this service, may we recommend that you book in advance. This will enable us to arrange and communicate all the necessary information to you prior to collection. This service will be provided at no extra charge, provided that you have a valid rail ticket for your journey. If you have a ticket to travel on our services and the service is disrupted we will take all reasonable steps to provide alternative accessible transport, at no extra charge, to take you and anyone travelling with you, to the nearest or most convenient accessible station. When a train service is subject to unplanned engineering works, an accessible bus service is

10 10 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE normally provided. Where it is not possible to do so, another means of accessible transport will be provided. Normally this means a taxi will be used to get you to your final destination. If a train terminates en-route short of its destination, our on board staff will make the necessary arrangements for your assistance or onward travel with appropriate onward travel. They will keep you fully informed of the changes that have to be made to allow you to complete your journey. 3.2 Guest information We provide up-to-date information about the accessibility of stations that we serve and our trains within 24 hours of being notified of any changes. This regularly updated information will be available from the National Rail Enquires website and via sleeper.scot Our information in hard copy and alternative formats (large print, Braille and audio) will also be updated at least annually through our regular review of our DPPP policy and guest facing DPPP document.

11 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS 11 4 Tickets and Fares Tickets and reservations for travel are available for Figure 1: How to buy tickets Method Access Getting your ticket Website sleeper.scot Post Self-service ticket machine Guest Services Centre Ticket Office with a booking office Tel: Textphone: Any station with a ticket office. For a full list please see National Rail Enquiries nationalrail.co.uk Post Self-service ticket machine From ticket office You will be able to pick up your ticket and reservations for travel at stations with a selfservice vending machine but you will not be able to purchase Caledonian Sleeper specific tickets or reservations from a self-service ticket machine. Where it is difficult for you to purchase a ticket because of access to the ticketing point for impairment related reasons, you will be able to buy tickets aboard the Caledonian Sleeper and still receive reductions on your fare, subject to entitlement. 4.1 Disabled Persons Railcard We support the Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC) which offers you and your companions discounts on a range of rail tickets across the UK, please see Figure 2. For a full explanation of our fares, please see our Guest Charter.

12 12 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE Figure 2: DPRC discounts on fares Fare Types Caledonian Sleeper advance fare (travel by sleeper only) National Rail Peak fare National Rail Off Peak fare First Class Sleeper Berth Standard Sleeper Berth (Solo or Twin) 34% 34% 34% 34% 34% 34% 34% 34% 34% Standard Sleeper seat Detailed information (including a range of discounts available to older and disabled guests) can be obtained from Rail Travel Made Easy guide published by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) available from disability-onboard.co.uk 4.2 At stations We serve 48 stations, all of which are managed by other operators. Access to stations varies considerably as most station were built in the 19th century when the needs of people with disabilities were rarely considered. However there is an on-going plan of minor works and we actively work with station operators to improve access to their facilities. We work closely with the relevant station operators (ScotRail, Virgin West Coast, London Midland and Network Rail) of the stations that we serve, with the aim of improving access for you at these stations.

13 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS Station entrances If for any reason, it becomes necessary for the operators of the 48 stations we use to alter facilities, we will keep any of our guests who have booked travel assistance using Passenger Assist informed through phone and and let you know in advance of any temporary or permanent changes being made. 4.4 Help points Most of the stations that we serve have help points which are clearly signposted on the station platform. Please use the help points to speak to the relevant station operator if you require assistance. 4.5 Aural and visual information At stations, where there are aural and visual passenger information systems, station operators have a duty to make sure that the information displayed is legible and conforms to industry standards. 4.6 Information display points If you have arranged assistance at staffed stations, we recommend you go to the agreed meeting point to let staff know that you have arrived. There is a dedicated mobility assistance point at London Euston, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. For all other manned stations please go to the ticket office, if you have not already arranged an alternative meeting place. For unattended stations please contact our Guest Services Centre for more information. For all other staffed stations please go to the ticket office, if you have not already arranged an alternative meeting place. For unattended stations please contact our Guest Services Centre for more information.

14 14 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE Induction Loop Communication: The vast majority of the 48 stations we serve have help points fitted with induction loops. These are generally located on the platform, close to entry points or at the ticket office. Telephone Help Point: There are telephone help points at all 48 stations and most have an induction loop. Help points are linked to the relevant station operator s communications centre. The help points can be used to check train running times, seek help during disruption as well as reporting crime and emergencies. Totem Information Points: We are in the process of rolling out totem information points across the 48 stations we serve and will have them all in place by Totem information points are Caledonian Sleeper service specific and you will be able to contact our Guest Services Centre directly using these points. The totems will have an induction loop, large screen and an accessible interface. 4.7 Ticket machines There are self-service ticket vending machines at many of the stations that we serve to pick up ticket reservations. The machines can issue appropriately discounted tickets to holders of a Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC) as well as the Senior Railcard and other appropriate railcards. These machines also meet the requirements of the Accessible Trains Stations - Code of Practice current at the time of installation. If you have a National Rail Ticket and wish to purchase a Caledonian Sleeper reservation, call our Guest Services Centre on or visit your nearest station ticket office.

15 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS Ticket gates There are automatic ticket gates operational at ten Scottish stations and four English stations we serve. All of these gate lines have at least one automatic wide aisle gate to accommodate guests needing this type of access. The gates are staffed but if staff are not available to operate them, they will be locked in an open position. 4.9 Luggage If you are travelling with luggage, we are happy to help you. However, please bear in mind that our on board staff members also carry out a range of other duties so we are only aware of your needs when you have pre-booked the service via Guest Services Centre. If you aren t able to book, we will offer assistance, whenever we can but unfortunately we cannot guarantee it, if it is not pre-booked. There is no charge for our staff helping with your luggage. Please do consider the weight, size and quantity of luggage as the service will be limited by the individual staff member s ability to lift your luggage. Please keep luggage where possible to 20 kg and a maximum size of 30cm x 70cm x 90 cm as recommended by the National Rail Conditions of Carriage Wheelchairs and Scooters Wheelchairs can be taken on board. Unfortunately due to on board restrictions, we can only accept wheelchairs provided they are not wider than 70cm, no longer than 120cm and combined weight of guest and wheelchair is less than 300kg. Unfortunately, due to current rolling stock restrictions, we are not able to take mobility scooters on board or powered wheelchairs. We will review this throughout the franchise and update our policy if possible.

16 16 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE 4.11 Guide dogs Guide dogs travel free on our services. All guide dogs should travel in a cabin as some of other guests may suffer from allergies and no pets are allowed in the seated cabin under Caledonian Sleeper conditions of carriage. If you are travelling in a Standard Sleeper Seat with a guide dog, you will be upgraded, free of charge to a berth. When you are booking your ticket for travel, please let us know if you are travelling with a guide dog so our on board hosts can know to expect you and your dog and make the necessary cabin reservation in advance Left luggage A list of left luggage facilities at the stations we serve is shown in Figure 3. All left luggage facilities are staffed and help can be provided to guests wishing to use these facilities. Please see the luggage operator at the station for prices and further details. Figure 3: Left Luggage Facility Luggage lockers Left luggage facilities (staffed) Stations Glasgow Queen Street, Aberdeen, Inverness, Fort William Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley, London Euston

17 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS Ramps There are ramps at all of the accessible staffed stations that we serve. We also have portable ramps on all of our Caledonian Sleeper trains. Our staff, or station staff deploy the ramps and provide assistance to you. Our on board staff can help you on or off the train at stations which are either unstaffed or at stations where are there are no station staff available at the time to help you Showers Disabled access showers are available to use at London Euston, Glasgow, Edinburgh Waverley, Aberdeen and Inverness. Disabled access showers are also available from neighbouring facilities at Aviemore and Crianlarich. Please note Crianlarich is not a fully accessible station. 5 Train information For the first few years of the franchise we will run the existing trains on all of our routes. We will introduce new Caledonian Sleeper trains by April Aural and visual information Due to the Caledonian Sleeper service operating during the night, we do not issue aural or visual announcements except during an emergency. Until the new rolling stock is operating in 2018, there will be no public address system on board the Caledonian Sleeper. If there is an emergency, our on board hosts will inform guests who have advised them of their disability with any relevant and timely information that may be necessary to ensure that guests have

18 18 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE sufficient time to prepare to leave the train. Figure 4 shows the Caledonian Sleeper trains that are available. Figure 4: Caledonian Sleeper Train (accessibility) Accessible Berth Wheelchair accessible Accessible toilet Standard toilet Boarding ramp available Priority seating Aural information Visual Information Staff available on board Yes ( 2 per full length 16 coach train) Yes (accessible berths only Yes (1 per coach with accessible berth) Yes (2 per coach without accessible berth) Yes Yes No No Yes Please note guests wishing to book an accessible cabin from Fort William have to give seven days notice. We will endeavour to reduce this booking period in the first year of the franchise. 6 Making connections 6.1 Connections to other train services We realise you will need extra time to make train connections and may need extra time to transfer between trains. We recommend a minimum of 10 minutes to make a transfer. However, if you think you need more time to transfer please speak to our Guest Services Centre so they can provide further information or arrange for any further assistance you may require.

19 HELPING OUR OLDER AND DISABLED GUESTS Connections with other transport providers Please see sleeper.scot for connections with other transport provider and if you have any questions please contact the Guest Services Centre. 6.3 Disruption Where our services are disrupted, we will take all reasonable steps to provide alternative accessible transport to take you and anyone travelling with you, to the nearest or most convenient accessible station, in line with destination on your rail ticket. Should alternative accessible transport not be possible we will provide accommodation if required. This will be provided at no extra charge, provided you have a valid rail ticket for that journey. 6.4 Planned Disruption If there are planned engineering works, our Guest Services Centre will take note of your preferred methods of communication when you book Assisted Travel. They will then use these channels to inform you of any planned disruption and any alternative arrangements that are place.

20 20 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE 7 Contact Details We would like to hear from you regarding any feedback on this DPPP and how we can make our service more accessible. Your comments are always welcome and you can contact us using the following methods: Caledonian Sleeper Guest Services Centre 1-5 Union Street Inverness IV1 1PP Tel: Textphone: enquiry@sleeper.scot Website: sleeper.scot Calls may be recorded. Max call charge from a BT landline is 9p plus up to 9p per minute. Business rates and calls from other networks may vary. 7.1 Alternative formats We strive to make the Caledonian Sleeper as accessible as possible. We can send information out by , on request, for those who find this helpful. We can also provide large print, audio, Braille on request. The copy will be sent out to you within seven working days of receiving the request.

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22 22 CALEDONIAN SLEEPER: MAKING RAIL ACCESSIBLE Appendix A: Accessible station facilities All of the stations are operated by other Train Operating Companies. For the most up to date information, including recently installed new facilities available at the stations we serve, please see the Stations Made Easy section available from nationalrailenquiries.co.uk Please note that the following organisations have been consulted during the preparation of this DPPP: Passenger Focus, London Travelwatch and Transport Scotland. This DPPP is PROVISIONAL and has not been approved by Office of Rail Regulation. A final version will be issued before Serco Caledonian Sleeper run trains on 1st April 2015.

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24 LONDON SCOTLAND DUE APRIL 2015 FASTER SLEEP London to Scotland via The Land of Nod Make the most of the day and the night take the new Caledonian Sleeper to Scotland from April Leave London in time for a night cap in the on board bar and dine from a menu created from the finest Scottish produce. Enjoy a peaceful night s sleep in your cosy cabin and wake refreshed to breakfast in bed. Why fly when time flies on the sleeper? It s like night and day. sleeper.scot