“Queensland ‘s Trains “Unsafe” For Disabled”

Queenslanders With Disability frequently dread catching trains due to safety concerns.

Trains have been described as “unsafe” for wheechair users during peak hours when trains are overcrowded, as it is hard to turn some wheelchairs around to lock them In a safe position during the journey.

Around a quarter of Queenslanders with a disability have reported?bad or very bad experiences catching public transport.

A survey, by Griffith University and Queenslanders with Disability Network, also found only 40 per cent of respondents with a disability could catch public transport every time or most of the time.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the findings didn't surprise?him and?the government was committed?to gradually improving the entire train network.

Queensland Rail has been working on overhauling 64 of its older trains, with the first upgraded train rolled out in October.

The fleet, which is over 16 years old, is being fitted?with accessibility improvements, interior upgrades?and engineering enhancements.

The project's principal engineer, Shane Triggs, said more than 150 major and minor changes were being made to each of the models being upgraded.

He said while this fleet was built with consultation from accessibility focus groups,?expectations and standards had?since changed.

Trains will now have wider accessible carriages for wheelchairs and other mobility aides, more priority seating, assistance buttons, low-level lighting strips, adjusting LED carriage lights, and doors that open and close faster.

Mr Triggs said?teams were working on?the changes for two years due to the complexity of upgrading older trains "without destroying the [train] and starting again".

The disability community had previously raised concerns over the 75 New Generation Rollingstock trains' access paths and unisex toilets being too small.

A Commission of Inquiry into the fleet was handed down in 2018 and found the trains, ordered under the Newman government, did not "fully comply" with the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport.

Mr Bailey said 49 of the New Generation Rollingstock have now been "rectified" to meet disability standards, with another 26 set to be finished by the end of 2024.

"We can only do eight of those at a time so that we can still run the full network," he said.

The federal Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 deemed all public transport to be fully accessible by the end of 2022, with the exemption of trains and buses until 2032.

Mr Bailey said the trains would be "fine" by 2032, the same year Brisbane was set to host the Olympic and Paralympics, but said the stations would be a "challenge."

About 40 per cent of train stations in the south east cannot be accessed with ramps or lifts, according to Queensland Rail.

As well as the physical changes that need to be made to Queensland’s public transport system, there is also a need for more staff training when it comes to how to communicate and cater for the needs of commuters with disabilities.

Although signifcant progress has been made in recent years when it comes to the State’s Rail Network, there’s still a long way to go, before Queensland’s trains can be considered fully “disability- friendly” .