East West Railway Company (EWR Co) is inviting disabled people to apply to join a new Accessibility Advisory Panel...
The company intends to create a new direct connection between Oxford and Cambridge and its Head of Inclusion, Caroline Eglinton, is encouraging disabled people who live locally to get on board to have their say in building an inclusive service.
The Accessibility Advisory Panel will be formed of up to eight people with a range of impairments. It will meet regularly to consider issues such as access to stations and platforms, clarity of customer information, passenger assistance and the on board experience.
Panel members must live or work between Oxford and Cambridge. Anyone interested in applying can find out more here.
Caroline champions inclusion across EWR Co, supporting and advising colleagues at every level to ensure the principles of equality, diversity and accessibility feed into all parts of the business at every stage of the project, and are reflected in its external work with partners and local communities.
“It’s a privilege to be working with EWR Co and I’m really excited to be using my experience to change lives for the better in the place I live,” said Caroline. “The ability to access public transport can be a huge boost to quality of life and can open up many opportunities for people, yet there are still too many who are excluded from rail travel.
“As EWR is a brand new railway, we have a rare opportunity to build a service from the outset that will be easy to access – and enjoyable to use – for everyone, no matter who they are.”
Applicants for the EWR Co Accessibility Advisory Panel must be over 18 and have lived experience of disability (or any long-term condition). Closing date for applications is 23.59hrs on Tuesday 10 January 2023.