Richard Seston
Director of external communications, Derby, United Kingdom +44 1332 22 5660
Atkins – a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group – has completed the 1,000th stations accessibly audit at Oban railway station in Scotland, as part of a Government programme to boost inclusivity across the transportation network.
The audit – which was originally pledged in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail - will help identify improvements and highlight existing areas of excellence. The findings will help people with accessibility needs better plan their journeys and will help shape future investment in accessible rail travel as a part of the Government’s National Disability Strategy.
Atkins was appointed by the Department for Transport to lead the work, supported by specialist partners from global technology company ABB; software as a service business K2Fly; equality, diversity and inclusion specialists, Goss Consultancy; data management and intelligent mobility pioneers You.Smart.Thing.; surveying and sustainability engineering consultants, Crayside Consulting; survey, mapping & measurement specialists 1st Horizon and project and cost management consultancy CPC.
The 1,000th station accessibility audit comes eight months into the programme, which will audit all 2,500+ stations over the next two years. The findings will enable the Government to remove barriers and improve confidence for disabled travellers as they return to public transport after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sukhy Duggal, Atkins Client Director for the DfT, said: “Reaching this milestone marks a significant point in this important project. It will deliver the DfT with a comprehensive data set which will inform investment decisions and provide the travelling public with reliable, accessibility information that improves the passenger experience.”
Wendy Morton, Accessibility Minister, said: “Hitting this fantastic milestone shows we are taking this seriously and are getting on with making rail more accessible than ever.
“This audit is highlighting existing areas of excellence and shining a light on those which need improvement so everyone can travel confidently and independently.”
Atkins is a leading provider of technical, consultancy and advisory solutions within the rail sector.
Notes to editors
About Atkins
Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, employing over 19,000 people across the UK, North America, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. We build long-term trusted partnerships to create a world where lives are enriched through the implementation of our ideas.
About SNC-Lavalin
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, technology and data to design, deliver and operate the most complex projects. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. – and delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. News and information are available at snclavalin.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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