Disability advocates are calling on the Victorian government to increase accessibility on Melbourne’s train network. The state government has fallen three years short of national standards but says it's making ground with new investments.
00:00Travelling to the city is a long journey for totally blind university student Lili Kaskin.
00:09I don't know where the edge of the platform is so at the moment I'm walking 30 minutes to the next station along Darabin.
00:15Her local train station in Melbourne's northeast doesn't have raised bars and dots, known as tactile ground surface indicators lining the platforms.
00:23I find it really sad that there's so many stations that I can't feel safe at.
00:29After a number of requests, the state government recently committed to funding tactiles here.
00:34But disability advocates say a lack of accessibility remains a common issue across the network.
00:40You do kind of feel secluded.
00:43Andrew Bretherton struggles at Windsor Station in the city's southeast, which has steep ramps that don't meet national standards.
00:51This is like a basic necessity, but it doesn't surprise me because so little thought is given to our community.
01:00Across the network, one third of stations don't offer independent access.
01:05Just under half are without paths wide enough for wheelchair users.
01:09Over 100 don't have accessible toilets and dozens are missing tactile edges, leaving the state three years behind nationally legislated targets at train stations.
01:19These are challenging requirements to meet, but they are important standards.
01:24We're all dealing with very similar challenges in terms of legacy networks that were often built a long time ago.
01:31We want the public to use the transport system, not just the able-bodied public, but people with disabilities too.
01:36Back at Ivanhoe Station, Lily is hopeful there will be more progress.
01:41I'm hoping that this is a shift that will help to work on that and change that.
01:47Celebrating a small victory in the fight for access.
01:52Join us and see if we can take a little break.
