Wheelchair Accessibility at Small Stations with Overpasses?

[scott]

I've been looking at station photos for idea for a small Japanese layout/module. In the pictures of many of the two-track stations (like this one), you can see the stairs for crossing the lines to the other raised platform. But how do people with wheelchairs, crutches, etc., get across? I don't see any obvious elevators, and with the long raised platforms, it doesn't seem like there are pedestrian/wheelchair "level crossings", unless they're way at the end of the platform (which would seem a bit unfair).

[quashlo]

Your average station in the rural areas is not accessible (most were built before the concept of "accessibility" in facility design really took hold) and I'm not sure it ever will be.

 

The latest rendition of the Transport Accessibility Law says any station with >5,000 daily passengers must be barrier-free by 2010, but many of the stations out in the rural areas do far less than this anyways.

[scott]

Thanks--that's interesting, but it's an unfortunate situation. I can certainly see how the conversions could be very expensive, but it's very limiting for some passengers. The stations with one-sided platforms rather than islands seem particularly challenging to fix.

[scott]

I'm not sure how common this is, but I found one working solution to this problem at a site called Accessible Japan, at this page:

 

http://aktive-behinderte.de/mfi/japan_en.htm

 

The author found himself separated from his platform by a pedestrian overpass, but:

 

This is no problem in Japan; the railway official comes to assist with an electrically powered stairway caterpillar. He pushes the device close to the steps and folds down a ramp so that I can be pushed onto the platform with my wheel chair. Afterwards my chair and I are secured with belts and the journey begins. At first, the platform tilts to the back, then both drive belts (which remind me a little bit of a tank) slowly push me up the staircase, step by step. The inclination of the platform is automatically held steady. At the end of the staircase, my assistant is able to push me to the stairs which end at our platform. When I have finally reached my goal, two trains have already driven through. The aid is not especially quick, but extremely impressive and practical! From the train we observe how the official returns to the starting point minutes later with the caterpillar.

 

You can see a picture of the author on the caterpillar next to this paragraph on the original page.