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New trains

bristolvr3

It has been a long time since I last used the National Autistic Society's forum page. For the first 35 years of my life, I lived in Felixstowe, Suffolk with my parents, but I have now been living independently in Ipswich, Suffolk, since September 2016. This move is a means of future-proofing my autism support requirements, and also gain access to things like better public transport services, better retail facilities and so on.

My local train company, Greater Anglia, has been in the process of ordering an entire brand new fleet of trains. The older trains will probably be completely replaced by later this year (2020), or possibly the year 2021. Whilst the new trains may be exciting to some people, such a big, fleet-wide change can be quite tough on the autistic in my opinion. Some of these new trains have experienced teething troubles shortly after their public introduction, and no matter how good they are, or eventually will be, I get the feeling that any autistic train travellers would miss the familiarity of the older trains. All sorts of stuff can cause confusion (longer length, different make, different sounds and so on).

It is understandable that any new or refurbished trains have to comply with disability access regulations, but what allegedly tends to be forgotten is that some passengers, such as myself, have a hidden disability, whether it's autism or otherwise. I was never going to expect the existing train fleet to be instantly replaced with new trains, as this will probably take about a year or two anyway. 

Have any of you travelled on any completely brand new trains in your area? If so, what impact do/did they have on you, or someone else you know, that has an autism condition?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Parents

  • Modern trains are far too crowded, the seats uncomfortable and too close together.  Oh for the days of empty compartments where one could be on one's own on occasion.

    However, the new trains do have seats set aside for disabled, and being disabled does not mean you have to have a wheelchair.  The best way of getting a seat is informing the station beforehand of your problems and they will do their best to ensure someone gets you a seat and gets you through to any connection as well.  A Sunflower lanyard can help, if you can get one from supermarkets such as Sainsburys, Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Argos or major Rail Stations, as this should be recognised by rail staff.

    I have received excellent service by being taken to my seat and met at the other end.  Not all disabilities are visible and autism is a disability.  And the service from railway staff is especially helpful when a train is cancelled and connections missed.

  • in reply to Trainspotter

    Hello there. Whenever I travel by train, whether it's old or new, I sometimes find a priority seat. I agree with you that some train seats are too close together, especially in the cases of the electric commuter units. Greater Anglia's Class 321 units are amongst them (you can research these online if you want to), and each time I travel on them, especially on a busy Ipswich to London service, I often fear being squashed by those allegedly inconsiderate peak-hour commuters. 

    Finding somewhere else to sit is tricky because some non-priority seats are too short of legroom for taller people (I am 6 feet 5 inches tall, by the way). A short journey would be OK, such as Ipswich to Colchester (20 minutes), but a comparatively long or slow journey such as Ipswich to London (1 hour 25 minutes) can get tiring and uncomfortable.

    I would rather spend more money to use an early-morning train service with fewer passengers than less money on an off-peak train that won't give me much time at my destination. If it means spending, say, an hour at a local cafe or restaurant before the shops open, so be it.

    As with any form of public transport, trains are an important part of my independent life.

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  • in reply to Trainspotter

    Hello there. Whenever I travel by train, whether it's old or new, I sometimes find a priority seat. I agree with you that some train seats are too close together, especially in the cases of the electric commuter units. Greater Anglia's Class 321 units are amongst them (you can research these online if you want to), and each time I travel on them, especially on a busy Ipswich to London service, I often fear being squashed by those allegedly inconsiderate peak-hour commuters. 

    Finding somewhere else to sit is tricky because some non-priority seats are too short of legroom for taller people (I am 6 feet 5 inches tall, by the way). A short journey would be OK, such as Ipswich to Colchester (20 minutes), but a comparatively long or slow journey such as Ipswich to London (1 hour 25 minutes) can get tiring and uncomfortable.

    I would rather spend more money to use an early-morning train service with fewer passengers than less money on an off-peak train that won't give me much time at my destination. If it means spending, say, an hour at a local cafe or restaurant before the shops open, so be it.

    As with any form of public transport, trains are an important part of my independent life.

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