Age of the train

Interesting article in the Independent today -

More developments will come next year, when the EU opens its international passenger rail market to competition, so that private and state companies will be able to apply to run services in third countries. Deutsche Bahn has made it clear it wishes to run services from St Pancras to German destinations. Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains has also expressed interest in any franchises that might arise from deregulation. “The increase in rail travel across Europe is a good thing, and we can all see it is only going to increase,” said a spokesman. “It’s now been comprehensively proven that rail travel can match air travel over distances such as London to Paris and longer. Even if you’re not concerned about the green arguments, the advantages of rail over air are very clear.”

This can only be good news for the disabled traveller because railway stations are often located in city centres.

Six new high-speed routes

Amsterdam-Brussels: present journey time, five hours five minutes; projected new time, three hours 36 minutes.

Rome-Milan: old time, four hours 30 minutes; new time, three hours 30 minutes.

London-Cologne: present time, four hours 45 minutes; projected new time, four hours.

London-Berlin: present time, 10 hours; projected new time, eight hours 30 minutes.

London-Milan: old time, 16 hours; new time, 12 hours.

London-Geneva: old time, 11 hours; new time, seven hours.

Event in London – Million Women Rise

I had the opportunity to hear Sabrina Qureshi speak in Birmingham when I went to a Women’s networking event at the Library organised by Shahida Choudhry (Facebook Women’s Networking Hub). Sabrina went up and started by saying how she was not used to public speaking but then gave an impassionate speech about what compels her to organise the Million Women Rise event in London (next event is on Saturday 7th March 2009)
for which she won the Emma Humphreys memorial prize.  I was at the periphery last year at the event but I had not heard her speak before.

Sabrina Qureshi

What has this got to do with Connect Culture and inclusive travel? It shows the kind of energy and diversity in the UK which congregates in London. Million Women Rise is against domestic violence against women – this includes disabled women. There is a report on the issue of the inadequate support given to disabled women domestic violence survivor. There are inadequate refuge provision anyhow and of those, there is probably very few which have accessible accommodation for disabled women.

I bumped into Sabrina at Birmingham New Street Station and met Viviene Hays Chief Executive of the Womens Resource Centre who was with her and on the train we had a chat about the difficulty of getting funding.  Its not a coincidence that the story seems so familiar – that its the bigger organisations with the capacity to get grant applications which then squeezes out the smaller grass roots organisations.

One of my ohjectives when I set Connect Culture as a social entrepreneurship is that it isn’t just for holidays. I would also offer services to people who go to these capital cities for business and for professional reasons. I don’t think I can provide refuge assistance though – that is beyond my scope.  Not unless what they require are  accessible hotel rooms.