GO train rider raises concerns over accessibility at Union Station

After a frustrating journey home, a GO train rider with a visual impairment is calling out Metrolinx for its lack of accessibility at Union Station.

Tara Small says last Monday evening she and her friend were trying desperately to locate the accessibility coach on the GO train heading for Hamilton.

Small has low vision and uses a guide cane. Her condition has significantly impacted her depth perception, so the raised platform and ramp found at the accessibility coach is important to help her board safely.

“We looked up and down. I couldn’t find the one,” Small recalled. “My friend even got on the train and went over to the other track on the other side of the train because she said maybe it’s on that side. She looked up and down but there wasn’t anywhere that we could see it.”

With the help of her friend, Small boarded the train before the doors closed with the hope of finding the right car from the inside. She says there were no staff to ask and no announcement on the intercom to assist them.

“As the train started to go, I’m walking through the train with my friend trying to get to the car,” said Small. “We’re going through cars and up and down stairs.”

They ended up walking all the way down to the wrong end based on a fellow passenger’s directions and had to double back until they found it. “I was a little bit nervous and angry. There’s a lot of emotions that go through my head, but more so just frustration like ‘oh no, this is happening again.’”

Small says her journeys are rarely ever smooth and that she’s encountered many of these types of incidents when riding the GO trains and GO buses.

When CityNews reached out to Metrolinx, a spokesperson noted that signs directing customers are placed outside each elevator on the train platform and continue until a customer reaches the accessibility coach.

Small argues that the signs were clearly not visible enough for her friend to see. Metrolinx added that those who are blind or have low vision can also ask for assistance at a staffed station if they arrive 15 minutes before a scheduled departure time.

“That’s very frustrating because that does not occur,” said Small. “It’s ridiculous how they think that those implementations that they have is actually reality.”

She wants to see a complete overhaul of the system including better training for staff, clearer signage, and more helpful announcements to assist those who are blind or have low vision.

In a statement to CityNews, a spokesperson for the transit agency added, “As part of our transformational GO Expansion project, Metrolinx is exploring ways to reduce barriers and enhance accessibility at all stations, including Union Station.”