Accessibility

The social cooperative “independent L.“ gave the Merano-Malles line top marks: the very last barriers preventing access for the differently-abled have now been removed. Provincial Minister of Transport Thomas Widmann welcomed this significant improvement on the Venosta Valley railway with very enthusiastic words.

When using public transport, people with disabilities are faced with specific problems, ranging from the use of car parks to accessing platforms and boarding trains, as well as using toilets or stopping at the station coffee bar.

Social cooperative “independent L.” was asked by STA Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige to review and assess how well the Venosta Valley railway was faring in relation to these crucial accessibility aspects. Assessments were also carried out on station premises and additional facilities. The outcome was extremely positive. A press conference was held in Bolzano in order to inform the general public.Some fourteen stations (Merano, Marlengo, Tel, Rablà, Plaus, Naturno, Stava, Ciardes, Castelbello, Coldrano, Silandro, Lasa, Sluderno, Malles) were considered “accessible”, while the four remaining stations (Lagundo, Laces, Oris, Spondigna) were ranked “accessible with help”. No station in the Venosta Valley was considered  “not accessible”.Social cooperative “independent L.” was asked by STA Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige to review and assess how well the Venosta Valley railway was faring in relation to these crucial accessibility aspects. Assessments were also carried out on station premises and additional facilities. The outcome was extremely positive. A press conference was held in Bolzano in order to inform the general public.
Some fourteen stations (Merano, Marlengo, Tel, Rablà, Plaus, Naturno, Stava, Ciardes, Castelbello, Coldrano, Silandro, Lasa, Sluderno, Malles) were considered “accessible”, while the four remaining stations (Lagundo, Laces, Oris, Spondigna) were ranked “accessible with help”. No station in the Venosta Valley was considered  “not accessible”.
“The Venosta Valley railway system is yet another example of South Tyrol’s ability to plan, design and implement key public transport projects. It is the only wheelchair-accessible railway of its kind”, says Provincial Minister of Transport Thomas Widmann.
Martin Telser, president of “independent L.”, said the Venosta Valley railway was setting a new standard in Europe for the removal of architectural impediments. He went on to add his "heartfelt thanks to the Provincial Government Department for Transport for focusing on this crucial topic”. “We hope – he added - the same planning criteria are adopted in all projects from now on."
STA’s Helmuth Moroder, who was in charge of supervising the Venosta Valley railway project and commissioning the accessibility study, points out that unrestricted access to all facilities and trains was made possible by fitting platforms with wood profiles to reduce the train-platform gap to 9 cm. This decision was key in securing the “accessible” ranking for the stations.