YOU refer to the problems for wheelchair users in accessing platforms 9 and 10 at Stirling Station (“Call to improve rail access for disabled”, The Herald, May 29). However, even at those platforms which do have wheelchair access, intervention by ScotRail employees is required to deploy ramps so that passengers can actually get on and off the trains.
Why is it that we seem to have one of the few railway systems in Europe where the rail operators are not investing in low-floor trains which allow wheelchair users to use trains without the need for help? The Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme was a golden opportunity to make a "step change" in promoting an accessible rail system. Instead we continue to have horrendous gaps between trains and platforms which are daunting for many passengers and which drastically slow down boarding and alighting.
Ian Lawson,
22 Buchanan Street, Milngavie.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
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We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
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