New audio guides have been launched at Brighton and Eastbourne railway stations to help blind and partially sighted passengers travel more independently.
The guides have been developed by Sight Loss Council volunteers alongside accessibility managers at Southern’s parent company, Greater Thameslink Railway.
They are designed to allow passengers to familiarise themselves with station and train layouts, key facilities and important navigation points before setting out on their journey.
Brighton and Eastbourne are among six stations initially covered, alongside London Blackfriars, Sutton, Stevenage and Luton Parkway.
Guides have also been produced for Thameslink trains and most of the trains operated by Southern, as well as Great Northern services running in and out of Moorgate.
Dave Smith, Sight Loss Council Engagement Manager for South East England at sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust, said public transport plays a particularly important role for people with sight loss.
He said: “As blind and partially sighted people, we rely heavily on public transport to access work, and medical and social appointments. These guides we’ve developed with GTR will make rail travel so much easier.”
The recordings are available through the accessibility sections of the Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern websites.
They join a number of other accessibility resources provided by the train operator, including Easy Ticket and Easy Train Travel guides aimed at neurodiverse passengers and a Travel Support Card for people who may need assistance but find it difficult to ask for help.
Thameslink Accessibility Engagement Manager Antony Merlyn said the new guides were intended to give passengers greater confidence when travelling.
He said: “Dave has a unique insight into the challenges for blind and partially sighted people travelling by train and it was great to work with him to create new guides describing our principle Southern and Great Northern trains as well as these audio descriptions covering six of our key stations.
“We hope these guides, alongside the free use of the Aira navigation app and numerous Try a Train events we have hosted over the past year, provide blind and partially sighted people with added confidence to travel with us.”
Sight Loss Councils and GTR are also planning “Coffee, Chat and Navigation” events at all six stations included in the scheme.
The sessions will give blind and partially sighted passengers an opportunity to build confidence using the railway and provide feedback on the new guides.
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