Irish Rail to introduce ticket validation system in main city train stations
Release Date: May 19th, 2006
People with vision impairments who are entitled to a Free Travel Pass will have to ensure that they have a valid ticket for any train journey from June this year, as the company introduces a ticket validation system in seven of the main city stations in Dublin.
The aim of the new system is to reduce ticket fraud by the general public. Until now, people using the travel pass did not always require a ticket for each journey, using their pass as identification instead. Now all commuters will use their ticket to open a barrier to exit the station, similar to the barriers already in place at the entrance to many stations.
The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) has been working with Irish Rail to ensure that the validation procedure is accessible to people with disabilities. Following user testing by people with vision impairments and guide dog users, NCBI is happy that the system is accessible and easy to use.
The first station updated was Grand Canal Dock where the system has been in place for a number of weeks. The other major stations, including Clontarf, Blackrock, Lansdowne Road, Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse, will be updated before the end of August.
The machines themselves have good colour contrast, with a raised bright orange plastic panel where people place their ticket to open the barrier. If the ticket is put into the slot the wrong way, it will be returned immediately and can be re-entered correctly. The barrier also has a bright orange strip across it, which makes it stand out.
For more information contact the National Council for the Blind of Ireland on 01 8307033 or Melanie McDonagh from Irish Rail on 01 7032634.