- On Sunday, we took the train out of Queen St Station to watch the Highland Games. At first glance, the station did not seem very accessible to people who have wheelchairs or have difficulty getting around. Buying tickets required crossing a driveway and stepping up onto the sidewalk, and the route we took to get from the ticket machine to the main concourse was uneven. Granted, I only used one of the two entrances available, and the station is under construction, so the other one might be more accessible. To get on the train itself, I had to step up and over a fairly large gap. I did not see any accessible way to board the train when I was there, but I did notice that there were wheelchair accessible ticket checkpoints, which meant that they had to get on the train somehow. So I did some research.
The website for the Queen Street station states that they do have accessible ways to board the trains, as well as their own wheelchairs in order to help customers, although I did not see them personally. The Queen St station also plans to renovate two of their entrances to be fully wheelchair accessible. Until that time, their plan for customers who need additional assistance is to provide a phone number to request help in advance. This isn’t ideal because any delays or circumstances could cause chaos and confusion for both the station workers and the customers, but it is better than nothing.
I think that overall, I was surprised at the amount of accessibility in the Glasgow train station at Queen St. They are making a good effort to provide for customers who may need extra help, and after the renovation is complete, they will be even better.
International Perspectives on Disability
University of Massachusetts Amherst
