It's been a long time since anything surprised me as much as this sight.
The train, which was three minutes late, rolled onto the new station platform. The doors opened and a crowd of travelers poured out. The concrete slabs began to rumble with the clatter of suitcase wheels, hurried footsteps. Most of the passengers began to look around, searching for the direction they should go. When one by one the exit was found, everyone sighed. A staircase led to the platform. Covered, admittedly, but lonely - no elevator, ramps or their moving counterparts. So luggage has to be carried. The worst is when you are traveling solo with a child, then you have to perform a hand-holding maneuver, carrying the stroller and suitcase, a real feat. The same is true when you have an injury or are elderly. The worst, however, is when you are in a wheelchair. And this sight just surprised me so much.
I let the crowd pass me, while observing the behavior of individuals. There were many strategies for overcoming this architectural barrier. However, I was probably most taken aback by what I saw already at the bottom: a young man pushing a stroller hastily with a woman - presumably his mother. They were the ones most concerned with time, hurrying to catch the train. They saw in the three-minute delay the chance that they would catch it. The underground passage offered only stairs and the bitter taste of disappointment.
All this was happening at the Łódź Kaliska station, which has been undergoing renovation and reconstruction for years. Sure, we can say that this is a specific period, we should have been better prepared and discerned. But on the other hand, is this an adequate excuse? After all, the platform I am writing about is already in place, a section is completed, and the offer to get from point A to point B in the shortest version just involves stairs without any alternative. This is how the platform was designed, that is, the place where people with luggage move around. If there were a frustration map, this place would probably glow red.
European Union - transnational standards
Throughout the European Union, there are common rules for rail accessibility. Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1300/2014, referred to as the Technical Specification for Interoperability - Persons with Reduced Mobility(TSI-PRM for short), makes it clear that any new or upgraded rail infrastructure should be designed to be accessible to all.
In practice, this means that when a station is renovated or rebuilt, its elements must be adapted to the needs of people with various limitations. EU regulations allow for gradual implementation of changes in older facilities, but each member state must plan for the systematic removal of obstacles. Not only good intentions are required, but also concrete plans and their implementation.
Overseeing the implementation of the regulations are national authorities in charge of infrastructure and rail safety, and at the European level , the European Railway Agency. The obligation to include accessibility in station redevelopment projects is therefore not an option, but follows from EU law. There are only a few exceptions, for example, in historic buildings or at very small stations with negligible passenger traffic.
In light of EU regulations, which oblige member states to gradually remove barriers to railroad infrastructure, the way the new part of the Łódź Kaliska station was implemented can hardly be considered to meet these requirements. After almost thirty years of construction, new platforms and the eastern viaduct have been put into use, but the solutions used on site resemble the standards of decades ago rather than a response to the real needs of modern passengers. The platforms are intuitively accessed by stairs without ramps or guides, and the elevators provided are out of order - and that's at the start, with no date given for their restoration to operation.
For those traveling through the Łódź Kaliska station with a bicycle, baby carriage or larger luggage, such organization of space is a source of obvious frustration. It's hard to talk about real accessibility when in practice the only option becomes carrying luggage or a bicycle down steep stairs.
What does rail accessibility look like abroad?
It is worth mentioning that in the UK, for example, construction or renovation operations must comply with theAccessible Railway Stations Design Code of Practice developed by the Department for Transport (DfT). Any infrastructure improvement or replacement project must respect European standards (PRM-TSI) and national guidelines. Ensuring compliance with these requirements is a condition for carriers and station managers to obtain and maintain operating licenses, and is overseen by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Neighboring Germany also regulates the availability of railroad stations on the basis of national law, in particular from the Railway Construction and Operation Ordinance(Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsordnung - EBO). This document stipulates that all railroad facilities and vehicles should be accessible to the elderly and people with disabilities "without special difficulties." The legislature also requires railroad companies to develop programs to achieve the highest possible level of accessibility.
Implementation of this requirement, however, is not immediate. Instead of a one-time obligation, the German law provides for a gradual implementation. Details of the sequence of upgrades, schedules and scope of work are determined in programs prepared by the operators, in cooperation with organizations representing people with disabilities.
Supervision of the implementation of these plans is exercised by the Federal Railway Administration (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt), which assesses whether construction projects comply with regulations and adopted accessibility programs. If a project is included in an approved plan, its implementation becomes the responsibility of the infrastructure company. In addition, each state's building regulations impose accessibility requirements on public buildings, including railroad stations, if major modernization is carried out in them. The federal Equal Treatment Act supports these measures in public transportation. In the case of negligence, community organizations can take cases to court. In this way, accessibility oversight is based not only on official control, but also on citizen enforcement.
Perhaps the most restrictive approach to transportation accessibility stands out in Canada. Federal regulations, introduced by the Accessible Canada Act of 2019 and the ATPDR(Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations) effective in 2020, impose a number of technical requirements on carriers providing interprovincial transportation. Each railroad station is subject to regulations regarding accessible entrances, communication routes, visual and voice signage, and on-board and platform equipment.
The requirements cover both new construction and renovations of older facilities, an integral part of which is the inclusion of elevators, ramps, visual and audible information systems and boarding facilities. The path developed provides for specific standards and technical details for each development. Failure to comply with these obligations can lead to administrative penalties of up to CAD 250,000 by the Canadian Transportation Agency.
The Canadian approach is distinguished by proactive planning and the participation of people with disabilities in consultations, thus fitting in with the principles of the Accessible Canada Act. Carriers prepare official plans and reports, taking into account the opinions of users with limited mobility. As a result, accessibility expectations are transformed into concrete actions, and their implementation is subject to systematic monitoring by federal authorities.
Observing the actions of other countries, it is hard to resist the impression that accessibility is solely a matter of technology or budgets. A great deal depends on decisions made right from the design and supervision stage. Considering the needs of all users should not be seen as a cost, but as a standard. Railroad stations are the first contact with a city, a showcase and an important part of the travel experience. If they are designed to exclude people with limited mobility, they become places of barriers, not connections.
