VIA Rail pledges to improve rail accessibility

VIA Rail Canada Inc. last week announced additional steps toward ensuring universal accessibility in order to meet requirements set out by the Canadian Transportation Agency.

To increase accessibility, VIA Rail is proposing:

• telephone reservations for riders with disabilities or functional limitations unable to make reservations on the website;
• curbside assistance from select station entrances to the platform, which includes wheelchair assistance, guiding assistance and assistance carrying baggage;
• relief areas for service animals at 80 stations;
• an improved digital strategy to make information more accessible; and
• on-demand availability of menus and safety cards in braille or large print on board trains.

Also last week, VIA Rail launched a universal accessibility policy to guide the railroads’ actions and decisions, and support its efforts to meet and exceed government regulations. 

“By pledging to remove barriers and avoid creating new ones across all our stations, trains and digital platforms, we wish to create and enhance a travel experience which recognizes each individual's autonomy, dignity and independence,” VIA Rail officials said in a press release.