March 23 - NSW Trains

NSW stands for New South Wales, and Sydney, the state’s capital city. is on the east coast of Australia. This is where I grew up so I am reasonably familiar with the city, although it has grown and changed leaps and bounds since the days of my childhood. These days when Lyle and I return to visit, we often use a map or guide to find our way around. This is especially so on the train system.

 As a young student, I caught the trains every day to school. I can still find my way on that particular route. These days when we go back to visit, we make our way on other routes through the city. We both like to go to select tourist areas and I often meet up with friends from my high school and university days. That is when Lyle needs to consult a map. Fortunately there seem to be lots of route diagrams posted for travellers, but sometimes it is the larger stations themselves that are confusing.

When we travel on the trains, I always use my white cane. There are ramps, steps, platform edges and many other passengers. On this last visit, I was impressed by the consideration and helpfulness of railway staff. While Lyle valiantly tried to guide me in appropriate directions and at the same time study the various notice boards, he was approached many times by railway personnel asking if they could be of assistance. 

This whole attitude has improved immensely over the years. I think that the NSW Train system has worked hard at improving its image. While I believe that other confused or lost passengers might receive similar help, I do think that my white cane was significant in drawing attention to our plight.

As you know, I am an advocate for the white cane and all that it means. It was encouraging to note that for the railway staff on the NSW Trains there is a growing awareness of the significance of the white cane and the potential needs of its users.