For Community Rail Week SCRP Marshlink line officer Catherine Simmons joined forces with a project coordinated by Kent Community Rail Partnership and Ashford College with a Try a Train trip from Ashford to Maidstone East. We greeted college students and staff, Community Rail Network CEO Jools Townsend, SER Community Rail Manager Matt Fraser, SER Travel Safe, Travel Smart Manager Sanchez Virginie Down and Kent Community Rail Partnership Chair Chris Fribbens at Ashford International Station.
We boarded the train to Maidstone East in groups. Each group was working with a different lead discussing a variety of elements of train travel such as barriers to travel, active travel and for SCRP Marshlink Line Officer Catherine Simmons a discussion on accessibility drawing on experiences travelling with disabled groups and those of the SER Accessible Travel Advisory Panel.
After an interesting tour of Maidstone East and a discussion on rail safety we returned to Ashford to be treated to a lovely ploughman’s lunch at the college by catering students.
The day gave an excellent opportunity to gather feedback from young people on their experiences travelling by train and to ask them to consider safety and accessibility. Many thanks to Kent CRP and project officers Therese Hammond, Andy Place and Gary Outram.
