Trains Trams and travel

A few days after storm Arwen battered the UK, my mum and I had pre- booked a night in Manchester. I'll assess the access of traveling to and around Manchester, plus activities we did, in stages. The train... As with any access requirement, it needs advance booking, which can take the spontaneity out of travelling. I don't mind this as advance train ticket booking means cheaper rail fare, especially with a railcard. I hadn't used the passenger assistance app before, so tried it for the first times when going to Manchester and was surprised how easy it was. All you have to do is set up a free account, you can either buy your train tickets through them or just book your assistance, by finding the details of your journey. Passenger assistance then emails you a confirmation of the request, one to say they are trying to sort it and a final confirmation. Having heard mixed reviews of the app I was a bit apprehensive about if it would work and if the ramp would be there. Liverpool lime street train station. with 3 entrances (the front, back, next to Liverpool Empire theatre and from the underground railway), this main city line, is what most tourists first see of Liverpool. This busy, bustling station is entirely flat, with the typical shops, cafés and restaurants you'd expect at a train station. There is an accessible toilet, next to the back entrance and non-disabled toilet. I didn't use this toilet, but remember it to be quite a decent size, but not with a changing place or a hoist etc. The only inaccessible part are the ticket machines. These don't speak, so not good for blind/visually impaired. This used to be a job done by humans, but since machines took over, it's probably best to buy an e-ticket. After enquiring about the app-booked ramp, the guard ticked my name off his list and escorted us round to the northern train. The northern disabled rail carriage. This was the first time since before the pandemic that we've ventured further than Liverpool. I was very impressed with the new look trains, it seems northern used the lockdown time well and have updated the carriages. As you turn through the door gap, its a bit of a tight squeeze, but once through, it was quite spacious and could fit 2 wheelchairs on, sat at each side. The downside of this compartment, is that you are sat facing the toilet. I am told the toilet was small and smelly with urine on the floor, so am glad I waited until arriving at the hotel before using the loo. Something I noticed about the toilet, was, it spoke! a voiceover announced, 'door open/closed' and, 'door locked/unlocked. This talking toilet is fantastic for blind/visually impaired people, as you have the security of knowing any potentially embarrassing situations can be avoided. I dont think the toilet would've been wheelchair accessible due to the size. I forgot to ask my mum to check for visual signs to indicate this, but hopefully it does.

Another talking feature I liked, was the stop announcer. A local sounding recorded voiceover said where you got on and what the next stop was. My mum said it also played on a screen. I loved this new update. I remember the days of counting stations and, when i had full sight, looking out for landmarks, so this new, accessible train, is marvellous! I was so impressed, I tweeted them.

Manchester Piccadilly train station. thankfully, the guard was there to meet us with the ramp ( in the past, Manchester train stations have been notorious for leaving me stranded. I used to go to a writing group near Deansgate, and was unable to go independently, as every time the pre-booked assistance wouldn't be there, and my mum had to wave out of the doors until the driver came to let us off). The station was like a maze! packed with people, each with a destination to reach and not letting anyone get in their way. We waited until there was a break in people traffic before getting the lift into the main station. Manchester Piccadilly is quite confusing and not particularly well sign posted. We asked a member of staff where the tram was and even he seemed a little lost and sent us to the wrong place! The tram. Once we left the train station 2 lads noticed us looking lost and correctly directed us to the correct tram line (it was up and down more lifts). Buying our tram tickets was confusing. Like in the main train station, their signage was poor. The machine was inaccessible, even my able-bodied mum found it hard. once we worked out the next tram that would take us to Salford Quays, I got parked on the tactile bit of paving that highlighted the disabled carriage. There were several areas on the platform where wheelchair users could get on. Getting on the tram was different to the train, as no ramp was required. There was a slight gap between the platform and carriage, but my wheels managed ok. Coming into the disabled bay, there was a yellow pole to the right that I had to dodge in order to get to the small gap that lead to the space. A pre recorded local voiceover announced each stop as well as a handy hint for tourists. On the way back we went from Media city The station needs better signage, including an audio/visual commentary to say: *time of next tram. *which line it'll come to. This would be helpful because having to guess when the next tram is due and what platform it goes to. We all had to run from one side of the tracks, to the other. The flurry of people didn't make me feel safe as we all tried to battle the closing doors. The northern train has improved so much. I was really impressed... the train stations were quite good for wheelchair access. Although on the way back, the Manchester Piccadilly lift was broken and we missed our train due to the lack of signage. Liverpool Lime Street could do with a changing places facility, being a main city line. Overall, the journey was very good. I would definitely recommend northern trains due to the audio/visual commentary feature.