Woman claims railway station staff accused her of being drunk and 'unfit to travel'
A woman who is registered disabled has claimed staff at a railway station accused her of being drunk and 'unfit to travel' because she was unsteady on her feet. She told how the experience had left her 'shocked, embarrassed and humiliated' - and claimed staff were also 'dismissive' about her disability even after seeing her blue badge.
The woman, who has asked not to be named and was making her way home from an afternoon in Liverpool at the time, told the ECHO: "I was told they had been observing my movement and was deemed unfit to travel. I was completely shocked at first, I didn't really know how to respond." A Merseyrail spokesperson apologised in response and said a senior manager 'reassessed the situation and cleared the passenger to travel'. The spokesman said: "Merseyrail station staff are trained in our clear TravelSafe policy, which ensures the safety of passengers travelling on our network as well as our staff.
The passenger said: "Better staff training is required there to prevent anyone who has a mobility issue being accused of being drunk. I have suffered for nearly 20 years, since the age of 19. Having a deteriorating disease that massively affects your day-to-day life has taken me years to come to terms with.
Stations in Merseyside, mostly built in the 1800s before builders were required to factor in accessibility requirements, are full of steps to platforms and gaps between platforms and trains. More than two thirds of the local rail network now have step-free access to the platform, but only three stations operated by Merseyrail also have a gap of less than 200mm from platform to train.
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