Guide dog's fall down train gap 'quite scary'

A visually impaired woman has called for better safety and accessibility at railway stations after an improvement project was scaled back.

The Access for All (AfA) programme announced earlier this week it would not be upgrading 19 of the 50 rail stations that were originally planned.

Lena Welch, from Sidmouth, said she still had concerns after her guide dog fell between the platform and train at Honiton station in 2023. She said it was "quite scary" as her dog Alex was her "lifeline".

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was "following up with Network Rail and South Western Railway to understand what happened and what steps are being taken to prevent similar incidents in future".

"Alex slipped through the gap at Honiton station and fortunately I was able to grab her and get her back onto the train," said Welch.

"It was quite a scary experience, because she is my lifeline."

She has used guide dogs for the last 18 years and said her confidence and independence was down to her current companion.

Welch said trains were her "navigation to the world" because she cannot drive.

"They can get me all across the country, but the gaps between the platform and train, missed passenger assistance and poor announcements can make travelling really difficult.

"My guide dogs have been life changing. The confidence and independence they give me is incredible, and I probably would not have done any of this without them by my side."

Welch said she reported the fall at the time and had been speaking about it again as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) had been talking to the community about train travel.

Those discussions came ahead of the update to the AfA - a government scheme that was launched in 2006 with the aim of making 50 stations more accessible.

Welch said she relied on her guide dog to find the train doors and had concerns with the lack of staff plus the "inconsistent layout" between stations.

Research from the RNIB suggested four out of five of blind and partially sighted people said the gap between trains and the platform caused them "difficulty" and there had been incidents that could have led to injuries and even death.

The AfA was funded to create an obstacle free and accessible route from the station entrance to the platform.

Erik Matthies, RNIB's policy lead for travel and transport, said he was "disappointed" with the announcement of the scaling back of the scheme.

A spokesperson for South Western Railway said they were committed to ensuring every customer could "travel with confidence".

They said they were "very sorry to hear about the distressing experience" and would continue to work with organisations such as the RNIB.

A DfT spokesperson said everyone "should be able to travel safely and with dignity".

They said they were "strengthening passenger assistance, including at unstaffed stations, and continuing to invest in step-free access across the network".

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