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The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s new trains have picked up another prestigious national award, recognising the huge advancements made in accessibility for rail passengers in the area.
In the ceremony in London, hosted by BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, the city region’s £500m new trains project fleet won the “Best Practice in Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility” award.
The judges praised the co-design approach taken with disability groups for the new trains, ensuring level boarding at every station and step-free access across the network, adding that the project “shows how genuine collaboration can deliver a rail system that works for everyone, setting a new benchmark for inclusivity in UK transport.”
Alongside the new train’s success, Customer Delivery Manager Janet Roach was also shortlisted in the “Woman of the Year” award.
Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Committee, said:
“We’re delighted at the recognition we have received at this year’s National Transport Awards for the positive impact our new trains have had in making our rail network more accessible.
“We’ve always believed that accessible, affordable and sustainable transport is not just a goal but a right that every community should enjoy. When we were designing and planning our new trains, we were clear that we needed to take this huge opportunity to open up our network to more people, allowing them to travel independently.
“The impact that has had is clear to see, but we’re not stopping there – we want to make sure every station in our city region has step-free access from pavement to platform by 2030 and will continue to work towards that aim.”
The city region’s game-changing new trains have made a huge difference to passengers with additional accessibility requirements, allowing more people to travel independently and setting a benchmark for the rail industry. Other operators have visited the region to see how it can be done, and industry watchdog Transport Focus has showcased the fleet as an example of best practice.
For 18 months during the design stage, more than 40 local residents helped make over 30 individual design decisions, ensuring the trains met a wide range of needs from mobility issues to sensory impairments and less visible disabilities.
The most significant change was the introduction of sliding-step technology which allowed level boarding from platform to train, making them the most accessible trains in the UK – a move recently praised by British Paralympic legend and disability rights campaigner Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson on a visit to the region.
This success follows on from the new trains also being named the winner in the ‘Accessibility Achievement of the Year’ category at the National Rail Awards last month.
In her role as Customer Delivery Manager, Janet oversees a range of critical customer-facing operations, including the strategic management of the Contact Centre, the vital provision of concessionary travel schemes, and the complexities of Smart Ticketing systems.
She was nominated by one of her colleagues who highlighted her leadership skills and her profound compassion and active commitment to elevating and championing people around her – particularly individuals who may feel underrepresented within the transport sector.
In their 22nd year and organised by Transport Times, the UK National Transport Awards celebrate the dedication, expertise, success and innovation of those working to continually enhance the transport networks across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
