On 7 and 8 October, the 17th meeting of Passenger Accessibility Solutions Support and Action Group for Europe (PASSAGE) Working Group was held at the ČD headquarters in Prague. The meeting was hosted by Mr Jaromir Fol, who works for the International Tariffs and Conditions of Carriage within ČD’s Passenger Transport Sales Department. It was chaired by Mr David Sindall (ATOC), president of the group. UIC was represented by Mr Luis Casado Presa, Senior Advisor of the Passenger Department.

During the meeting, several subjects were discussed. The group has been working on UIC Leaflet 145, and they expect to present it next October in Paris, once it is approved by the Passenger Commercial and Distribution Forum. The calendar for its approval and the final format of this leaflet were discussed.

All the representatives reported on the latest news from their companies and from their countries about accessibility in the railways, and vivid discussions arose in order to achieve a common position on the subject of a European railway accessibility card, given the different points of view on this issue.

During the second day, a technical visit took place to Praha Hlavní Nádraží, the main station in Prague, where the attendees of the meeting could check on the improvements in the field of accessibility that has been achieved by ČD. The new and adapted rolling stock was shown, and members of Czech federations of PRMs and staff from ČD gave a demonstration of the use of wheelchairs on trains.

In the picture from left to right: Fabienne Magnan (SNCF), Veronika Trulikova (ZSSK), Jaromir Fol (ČD), Christian Aerts (NMBS), Christian Schwarzl (ÖBB), Tanya Stötzer (DB), David Sindall (ATOC), Dana Mahutova (ZSSK), Luis Casado Presa (UIC), Werner Jordan (SBB), Paola Negri (Trenitalia), Niklas Henriksson (Trafikverket), Hans Christian Kirketerp-Møller (DSB), Rudy De Geeter (NMBS), Giampiero di Luca (RFI) and Jérôme Rennotte (SNCF).

The next meeting will take place in Brig (Switzerland), in February 2015.