Metro Rail makes it possible for the disabled to travel comfortably

Hyderabad : Where there's a wheel, there's a way. The physically challenged need not struggle on a difficult path now. They too can wheel into the spanking new Metro rail and commute like others. HMRL has come up with a special recipe for people with special needs. A pinch of imagination, a dash of tech, a spoonful of care and heaps of love have gone into making the Metro rail disabled-friendly.

The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do. The men behind HMRL have donned thinking caps while designing the Metro rail and have come up with solutions for everything, including those with accessibility issues. Be it wheelchair bound passengers, visually impaired or those with hearing, speech or cognitive disabilities it is now possible for everyone to get around. HMRL has opened up the world for people with disabilities. And it makes a good business sense.

"In designing the stations, lifts, fare gates, ticket vending machines we have made it possible for the disabled to transcend their physical limitations", said HMRL Managing Director, NVS Reddy.

In tune with this vision, the Concessionaire L&TMRHL has provided a barrier free environment for the physically and the visually challenged and even the elderly persons using the rail system. Right from the moment one approaches the Metro station, the disabled enjoy facilities like a ramp provided at the road level to facilitate wheelchairs up to the lifts. For easy manoeuvrability and accommodation of wheelchairs, spacious lifts are being provided with hand rails inside for the elderly and disabled persons.

Not just this. Lift operating buttons will have information in Braille at all levels of the station for the convenience of the blind persons. A tactile strip being provided from the street level till the edge of the platform, guides the blind persons in navigating their way by tapping the floor with their white canes. Wheelchair bound passengers will not encounter any problem getting into the train as care is being taken in maintaining the gap between the platform and train floor. Even the blind persons will not run the risk of getting their feet accidentally trapped in the opening between the platform and the train door.

Once in, the wheelchairs can be locked to a special “grab hold” in the train in the designated wheelchair spaces. Every station will have special toilet with grab bars and supports to help the physically challenged persons. Wide automatic fare collection gates are provided for wheelchair passengers. For those with speech impairment, ticket vending machines are being designed to help them.

This apart, signage with high contrast levels is being designed to aid partially blind passengers and those with cognitive disabilities. Further to help the illiterate and the disabled, there will be pictograms along with signage for easy access of different areas of the station and trains. HMRL has planned to make announcements in three languages to help those who can't see and read. The announcements will give information about the next station, the platform side on which the door will open and other safety guidelines, NVS Reddy stated.

For years disabled persons have relied on somebody else to do things for them. Now the Hyderabad Metro has made it possible for them to do away with any kind of assistance when they travel by the Metro rail.