As part of its mission to build a railway that works for everyone, East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has taken another step forward in inclusive design by inviting members of its Accessibility Advisory Panel (AAP) to visit existing stations along the proposed route.
Panel members, who have lived experiences of disability, visited Bedford, Bletchley, and Bicester Village stations to identify common barriers that can make rail travel challenging for disabled passengers.
The members were asked to assess factors such as layout, signage, navigation, and the overall passenger experience with the visits highlighting both challenges and examples of facilities that already meet disabled people’s needs.
To maximise the benefit of the station visits, panel members were joined by members of EWR’s design and architecture teams, as well as representatives from MWJV (the project’s principal designers, formed by WSP and Mott MacDonald). Together, they gathered first-hand insight into what does and doesn’t work in real stations - insight that could directly inform the design of future East West Rail stations and across the wider rail industry.
Trevor Wilson, Building and Stations Architect at EWR Co, said: “Many stations still fall short of modern accessibility expectations. This feedback is vital as we consider how best to design for everyone, now and in the future.”
Accessibility is a cornerstone of East West Rail’s design approach, helping to ensure that future stations are not only functional, but welcoming, safe, and easy to use for all passengers.
The visits build on earlier work by the AAP to identify key accessibility priorities across the UK rail network.
Mary Doyle, Co-Chair of the Accessibility Advisory Panel, said: “We’re creating a railway that should last 200 years. To get it right, we have to learn from the past and act now. These visits give designers the insight they need to build something truly inclusive.”