When travelling by train in Melbourne, anyone in a wheelchair or motorised scooter has to board at the first door of the first carriage – which presents some difficulties if that door happens to develop a fault.
Thanks @metrotrains for the faulty first door on the Upfield line. I'm in a wheelchair. Couldn't get on. Faulty train in service me thinks.
— Louis Ziras (@LouisZiras) June 3, 2015
I happened to spot another Metro Trains service with a defective front door the other week.
Again – anyone in a wheelchair would be unable to board.
Some background
On every type of suburban train in Melbourne, the section behind the driver’s cab is the wheelchair parking area.
At some stations the end of the platform has been raised to give step free access.
This allows anything on wheels to roll onboard the train.
But at most locations on the network, the train driver has to get out of the cab, and deploy a portable ramp.
On the newer Siemens and X’Trapolis trains, the wheelchair ramp is located in a cupboard next to the front door of the carriage.
But on the older Comeng trains, the driver has to carry the ramp from the cab to the front door, and then carry it back again.
Hence when the front door is defective, passengers in wheelchairs and mobility scooters can’t board the train:
- fixed ramps at stations only line up with the front door,
- there is no way to access the portable ramp except via the front door,
- and finally, there is nowhere to park a wheelchair except for the doorway.
My only question – did the fault with the front door occur while the train was already in service, or picked up while the train was being prepared for the day?
Just what is the fault you are describing? It has been reported elsewhere (eg Daniel Bowen’s tweets) that some people do not know how to operate train doors.
Also, people using wheelchairs do not “have to” board at the first door. If they feel comfortable boarding at other doors, and confident they will be able to disembark at the desired destination, then they could board at other doors. Some people using wheelchairs are able to mount small steps like a narrow gap between carriage and platform.
Related to either or both of those two matters, drivers may be required to open doors for people with disability even if those people are able to otherwise enter or leave the carriage.
No, it is NOT good enough that people using wheelchairs are said to be _required_ to use one door only.
You are correct that not all passengers in wheelchairs require assistance – at my old station there was a regular commuter who was more than capable of wheeling himself onto the train and back out again, despite the platform gap and difference in floor height.
However, this doesn’t mean that we can expect every passenger to do the same, just as the fact that I can run up stairs two at a time means that staircases could be twice as steep.
If there’s been any misunderstanding that I expect everybody to get on trains on other doors, then let me clear the air. I certainly was not saying that, but I emphasize again, IT IS WRONG and inappropriate to expect all people who identify as having a disability to use a specific option. I am glad you realize and acknowledge that such people can and do use other doors, but please be aware the language you use does not restrict those people.
Of course the drivers can’t possibly carry the ramp to the next door, can they? No, it’s much better to leave wheelchair-bound passengers to wait for the next train.
Philip, if the ramp is in a cabinet in the first doorway, and that door is defective and cannot be opened, how do you expect the driver to be able to get to the ramp in the first place?
Oh, I dunno, perhaps walk in through the middle door, get the ramp, bring it out and use it at the middle door. But the photo is of a Comeng train, where the ramp is with the driver anyway, so carry it an extra 10 m and use it.
Could you walk down to the 3rd car, and use the ramp from the doorway there? Sure it would delay the train, but that’s still better than leaving a disabled passenger behind.
my understanding is company policy dictates the ramp is only to be utilized on the first door, due to additional delays incurring from deployment on other doors ( walking times ). there is also the issue on siemens trains that there is no groove for the ramp to lock into on other doors aside from the doors behind the driving cab, hence a ramp could spin out from under the wheels and cause injury during boarding. Not forgetting that a defective door on a siemens or xtrapolis train would essentially lock the ramp in the cabinet anyway preventing it from being used on another door
The train in question was a Siemens train that had a clear indication that the door was faulty. As Kevin correctly states a wheelchair user can enter the train at any door. But, I’m in a motorised wheelchair, and like scooter users can only enter the train with the driver’s assistance. My frustration was not only that I couldn’t get on the train, but if I did get on using the opposite door, what would have happened at my destination if I couldn’t get out through the faulty door?
A further fail for Metro trains are the raised platform humps to roll on/roll off at the station. They only line up with the Comeng trains. I still need the use of the ramp for the Siemens train.
Turns out I have a photo of said ‘Door out of order’ lights.
With the wider rollout of the raised platform ramps, I’ve noticed the same issue with the Siemens trains. Given they entered service just over a decade ago, it makes me wonder why the hell those in charge thought buying a train with a non-standard floor height was acceptable!
In Brisbane they have guards in the middle of the trains who can put the ramps to middle end door on either half of the train. Double the wheelchair spaces and capacity to have some wheelchair access if a door fails. On the other hand that has significantly higher staffing costs and the middle of trains are usually fuller.
Sydney used to put their guards in the middle of the train – until they started to buy 8-car long sets, and moved them to the rear.
http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24074