Laois train station wins ‘Age Friendly' status award
The station has undergone much development to create 'age friendly' car parking spaces, wheelchair accessible spaces and accompanying signage available on platform seating and waiting areas, along with accessible toilets.
Iarnród Éireann has launched an 'Age Friendly Stations Initiative' today, which intends for all of the 146 stations nationwide to attain age friendly status.
Ballybrophy Train Station now joins Kilkenny's MacDonagh Train Station and a growing number of public services and buildings across the country that have gone through the process.
Phase one of Iarnród Éireann's Age Friendly Station Initiative will see a group of ten carefully selected stations from across the rail network go through the audit and recognition process.
Chief executive of Iarnród Éireann, Jim Meade said: 'Our vision for rail in Ireland is to be the backbone of an integrated, sustainable, and accessible public transport network, connecting and serving all of Ireland's communities.
'We're investing in infrastructure upgrades across the network to enhance accessibility and facilitate safe, independent access for more of our customers, while also providing our staff with accessibility and disability awareness training. Initiatives like these are helping us to provide a better, more inclusive service to customers.'
The award given by Age Friendly Ireland offers significant recognition following an extensive process aligned with the principles of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities.
Age Friendly Laois ambassador and managing director of the National Ploughing Association, Anna May McHugh said: 'With a high number of older people living in rural communities such as Ballybrophy, it is important that they have equal access to public transport, and that the work is done to ensure they can have a high quality of life.
'I want to empower older people in rural communities to avail of these services, and continue to live a long and social life. I look forward to taking more trips via Ballybrophy, knowing it now carries the Age Friendly mark.'
The Ballybrophy Train Station accreditation represents a broader national movement towards inclusive design and services, guided by Age Friendly Ireland, which is a shared service of local government hosted by Meath County Council.
Age Friendly Ireland directs, supports and provides technical guidance to the 31 local authority-led, multi-disciplinary age friendly programmes which includes 31 older peoples councils.
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