UKRAINIAN Railways (UZ) has unveiled the first fully-accessible suburban train to operate in Ukraine.
The train was refurbished in a Hryvnia 70.6m ($US 2.59m) project, with Hryvnia 2.2m spent purely on converting it to make it fully inclusive for all passengers.
“We are gradually making UZ inclusive,” says Mr Ivan Yuryk, UZ acting chairman of the board. “After all, all people should have equal opportunities when travelling by rail, including suburban services. This train will be an example for further work on the modernisation of suburban rolling stock.”
The train has been equipped with spaces for wheelchair users, ramps, call buttons and all signage is in Braille.
UZ says all work was carried out in constant consultation with Mr Valeriy Sushkevych, commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The work was undertaken at UZ’s Kyiv Electric Car Repair Plant. Yuryk says that the conversion of another six trains should have been completed by the end of the year with Hryvnia 300m allocated for the work.
