From breaking disability access law to future plans — here's how Queensland's trains are tracking – ABC News

From breaking disability access law to future plans — here's how Queensland's trains are tracking
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Peter Tully is a "public transport fanatic," regularly catching trains up and down south-east Queensland for his work as a disability consultant. 
The Ipswich resident, who uses a wheelchair, said the train network was a "key part of his independence".
"On a busy week, I catch it about 20 times," he said.
The 58-year-old said he felt "very unsafe" when carriages were overcrowded, often during peak hours, when it was hard for him to turn his wheelchair into the correct position for the journey.
Around a quarter of Queenslanders with a disability have reported bad or very bad experiences catching public transport.
A survey, by Griffith University and Queenslanders with Disability Network, also found only 40 per cent of respondents with a disability could catch public transport every time or most of the time.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the findings didn't surprise him and the government was committed to gradually improving the entire train network.
Queensland Rail has been working on overhauling 64 of its older trains, with the first upgraded train rolled out in October.
The fleet, which is over 16 years old, is being fitted with accessibility improvements, interior upgrades and engineering enhancements.
The project's principal engineer, Shane Triggs, said more than 150 major and minor changes were being made to each of the models being upgraded.
"The pillar of what we've been doing has been based around the disability standards," Mr Triggs said.
He said while this fleet was built with consultation from accessibility focus groups, expectations and standards had since changed.
Trains will now have wider accessible carriages for wheelchairs and other mobility aides, more priority seating, assistance buttons, low-level lighting strips, adjusting LED carriage lights, and doors that open and close faster.
Mr Triggs said teams were working on the changes for two years due to the complexity of upgrading older trains "without destroying the [train] and starting again".
Queensland Rail Executive General Manager SEQ Assets, Sarah Dixon, said the next unit would need less time to be completed.
"There [was] a lot of testing and prototyping," she said.
"It will be about five years for us to do the whole fleet."
The disability community had previously raised concerns over the 75 New Generation Rollingstock trains' access paths and unisex toilets being too small.
A Commission of Inquiry into the fleet was handed down in 2018 and found the trains, ordered under the Newman government, did not "fully comply" with the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport.
The final report also revealed the project "failed" to engage with accessibility experts throughout the procurement and design approval phases, and there was "no consultation with the disability sector" on the new fleet.
Mr Bailey said 49 of the New Generation Rollingstock have now been "rectified" to meet disability standards, with another 26 set to be finished by the end of 2024.
"We can only do eight of those at a time so that we can still run the full network," he said.
Queenslanders with Disability Network CEO, Michelle Moss, said there had been "notable progress in recent years" to the state's train network.
"There is still a way to go to meet our target of all stations meeting accessibility standards," she said.
The federal Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 deemed all public transport to be fully accessible by the end of 2022, with the exemption of trains and buses until 2032.
Mr Bailey said the trains would be "fine" by 2032, the same year Brisbane was set to host the Olympic and Paralympics, but said the stations would be a "challenge."
About 40 per cent of train stations in the south east cannot be accessed with ramps or lifts, according to Queensland Rail.
Mr Tully said as well as physical changes to public transport; he would like more staff trained on how to communicate and cater for commuters with disabilities.
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