Interested in railway stations? You won’t want to miss this ‘ACCESS FOR ALL’ event!

RBD Community shines a light on station accessibility and inclusivity for all who use them.

Part of Rail Business Daily, the RBD Community was launched in June of this year and now boasts a membership of more than 200 rail companies and supply chain partners. The team, led by Eli Rees-King, has arranged a networking event focusing on accessibility for people using railway stations and is calling on all organisations that have an interest in this subject to get in touch.

Sponsored by GDS Technology Ltd, delegates will hear from industry experts and leaders with the aim of providing clarity around the policies governing accessibility and how this translates into action and progress in making stations accessible for all who use them. There will be an opportunity for discussion and to hear about industry innovations and solutions, in addition to funding and how the supply chain can get involved.

According to the updated 2018 Government “Inclusive Transport Strategy”, in the UK alone there are 13.9 million people with varying disabilities, in addition to an ever-increasing ageing society, all who require uninhibited access to travel. There is also important reference made to invisible impairments, such as cognitive and mental health conditions that can have just as profound an impact on people as physical conditions. With the overall goal identified in the strategy to create a transport system that offers equal access for disabled passengers by 2030, the RBD Community event will provide a platform for the supply chain to join together for networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing to solve the challenges around accessibility and stations.

Eli Rees King, Head of RBD Community said, “We are really excited to launch our inaugural event on 7 December 2021, particularly around this very important subject of accessibility. We are over the moon to have secured such a high calibre of speakers, and we are looking forward to meeting our members and wider associates for what is promising to be a fantastic event.” Speakers at the event include:

• Transport for Greater Manchester
• Rail Delivery Group – Dominic Lund Conlon, Accessibility & Inclusion Manager
• ARUP – Chris Watkins – Senior Consultant | Access and Inclusive Environments
• Seed Architects – Gary Seed, Director
• GDS Technology Ltd – Rene Blamey, General Manager
• KTN – Daisy Chapman Chamberlain, Rail Lead
• Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) – Gordon McCullough, CEO

Rene Blamey, General Manager at GDS Technology, RBD Community member, speaker and sponsor of this event said, “As an organisation that has made significant headway in developing solutions that address the challenges around accessibility for all, this event aligns perfectly with the messages we want to deliver!

“There are thousands of GDS screens installed in railway stations worldwide, including Passenger Information Display (PIDS) screens, touchscreen totems, large format displays and advertising screens. Our screen solutions are built with accessibility in mind; for example, across Switzerland we have deployed over one thousand interactive totems which ensure that people with a wide range of disabilities and languages can access the information which is vital to their journeys. We are really looking forward to showcasing our innovative solutions and speaking with everyone who attends the event.”

This event is open to all, please register to attend by clicking here – Accessibility and Stations Registration, Tue 7 Dec 2021 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

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