*[Enwl-eng] Left behind at the station

[ENWL]

      1 in 5 people in the EU have a disability or reduced mobility. They need to give two days’ notice to get assistance to take a train. A new law could make travel so much easier but is under threat. Negotiations will take place next week.

      Sign to abolish the two day rule 
Hi,

Want to catch a train today? For most of us, it’s pretty easy. All we have to do is get to the train station, buy a ticket, and go.

But for the one in five people in the EU who have a disability, that’s not possible. [1] Yannis, who is blind, needs assistance to catch the right train, and Horst, who travels with a wheelchair, needs help finding a ramp to board the train.

EU law requires people like Yannis or Horst to give two days' notice to get the assistance they need to travel on trains, even for daily commutes. This means that 100 million EU citizens with disabilities and millions of other passengers with reduced mobility including many elderly people still don’t have the right to travel by train when they want to. [2]

Next week, EU lawmakers are negotiating a law on the rights of train passengers that could abolish the 2-day notice period. But the Polish MEP in charge of leading the EU negotiations on the issue, Bogusław Liberadzki, is being pressured by national ministers to keep the two-day rule.

To make sure he stands strong one of WeMove Europe’s or the European Disability Forum's (our partners) members with a disability or reduced mobility will deliver the petition right before he enters the negotiations, sharing with him all the stories of discrimination at train stations across Europe. [3] Will you add your voice to strengthen the message?

      Sign now to ensure train travel for all 

We all need to travel to work, go to appointments, visit friends and family, or attend last minute meetings. But if you have a disability or reduced mobility, you cannot simply turn up on the day and travel by train.

Last year, Horst Frehe, the leader of the German Disability Council, was denied entry on an early morning train going from Bremen to Berlin. He had requested access to attend a meeting with the German Justice Minister, but because Deutsche Bahn refused this request he had to travel at night and book extra accommodation.

Millions of people with disabilities and reduced mobility regularly miss trains or get stuck on platforms because assistance to get on and off the train is not immediately available. [4] Often, if the train is cancelled or delayed, assistance at the arrival station is also cancelled and not rebooked, with several cases of passengers having to stay on the train for 2 or 3 hours more.

      Tell the EU: train travel is for everyone 

Easy access to trains is also a climate issue. Many more people are trying to do their bit for the environment by taking trains instead of flying to their destination. But it's not always that easy, because it's too expensive, or you've got red tape in the way of your journey. The EU should be making train travel as accessible as possible, and enabling people to be part of climate action by doing so. That's what this campaign is also about.

This is an important issue for everyone in Europe and we need to come together to make change happen. Please sign and share this petition with your friends and family.

With determination,

David, Giulio, Mika, Marta and the entire WeMove Europe team



References:
[1] https://euobserver.com/disability/118249
[2] https://euobserver.com/opinion/145988
[3] http://www.edf-feph.org/factsheet-stories-discrimination-train-transport
[4] Correspondence with European Disability Forum 

WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere. 

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From: David - WeMove Europe 
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 10:14 PM
Subject: Left behind at the station


 
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