A pop-up exhibition by National Rail, called No Boundaries, which showcases the work of artists living with disabilities arrived at Edinburgh Waverly station yesterday.
The exhibition coincides with the launch of the Digital Disabled Persons Railcard, as well as the piloting of a universal ramp that will make it safer and easier for disabled passengers to board. While ‘turn-up-and-go’ assistance is currently being trialled across 170 stations, with plans to roll this out more widely, giving passengers more flexibility to travel at their convenience.
The 20 artists taking part in the exhibition, who have a range of disabilities and artistic experience, visited destinations of their choice using a Railcard, which offers a third off rail travel throughout Britain, and created artwork based on their experiences.
Lead artist, Sophie Morgan, a TV presenter best known for presenting the Paralympics 2018 and Best Laid Plans, created a painting for the exhibition after a trip to Brighton. Similarly, Robyn, a 15-year-old illustrator, and the youngest artist taking part, created a piece of artwork entitled ‘Lost at Sea’.
Established London-based artist, Liz Atkin, created her artwork during a trip to Wool. Liz has been creating and handing out her sketches on trains to passengers for many years as a way of managing a skin picking disease called Dermatillomania.
To help divert her anxiety when she travels, Liz creates artwork on discarded newspapers which she hands out to curious passengers. To date she has given away more than 16,000 drawings from London, New York, Singapore and San Francisco. Liz is taking part in the exhibition to raise awareness of mental health, and has created a charcoal piece inspired by her trip to Wool.
National Rail has also teamed up with Guide Dogs, Scope, National Autistic Society, Royal Association for Deaf people, Stroke Association and Whizz Kidz to host the exhibition.
Jyoti Bird, National Rail’s Marketing Director, explains: “One of the railway’s key commitments is to help more people take advantage of all of the opportunities that travelling by train opens up.
“We have teamed up with some great charities to generate awareness of the support that is available for disabled people and their friends and families. Through this exhibition we’re aiming to inspire people to travel, talk and support each other without boundaries.”
The exhibition will be at Edinburgh Waverly station until 12th November 2018.
The launch of this exhibition coincides with:
- The launch of the Digital Disabled Persons Railcard, which is hosted on a mobile phone and provides 1/3 off rail travel for the Railcard holder and their companion for just £20 a year. With a digital Railcard you can start saving straight away, without having to wait for the post.
- The piloting of a universal ramp that will make it safer and easier for disabled passengers to board, as well as for staff to use. A number of industry members will be trialling the ramp later this summer.
- Unbooked assistance which gives passengers more flexibility, so they’re able to travel at their convenience.
- Trial of a new digital Passenger Assist solution which will help make requesting travel assistance quicker, easier and has the potential for future innovation.
- Mobile tickets, which allows you to buy a ticket before arriving at the station so you can board a train without having to queue. There are currently ticket gates at 98 stations with a further 79 stations receiving upgrades by the end of the year.
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