Out-of-Order Lifts at Dutch Train Stations Leave Wheelchair Users Stranded

Out-of-order elevators at train stations across the Netherlands are leaving wheelchair users stranded on a platform or causing them to miss their trains, the NL Times reports on RTL Nieuws’s interview with 22-year-old Yira Bes, who uses a wheelchair. “It is simply not indicated properly, which means that I often find myself at a station and cannot get off the platform,” said Bes. “Then I have to wait for the next train to travel to the next stop. Then I go to another platform and take the train back. That simply creates difficult situations.” IederIn, an interest group that advocates for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, reported that long-term disruptions seem to be decreasing, but incidental breakdowns remain a major issue. Stationslift Storingen, a website for reporting broken elevators, was created in response to the structural problem by wheelchair user Kasrt Lovers, who has had to be lifted down the stairs by other passengers due to elevator malfunctions. “The goal is to give passengers who experience the same problem some communication and insight, which the NS fails to do,” Lovers told RTL.