Lucinda and Robbie Wales, who each have physical disabilities, have expressed disappointment after they were made to stand for a long period of time on a recent V/Line service.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Most train travellers are all too familiar with the annoyance of not being able to find a seat on hours-long services, but, for Robbie and Lucinda Wales, having to stand for lengthy journeys can have dire consequences.
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“I’ve been diagnosed with motor functional neurological disorder, which is an illness that affects the left-hand side of my body,” Lucinda said.
“I can get weakness or no feeling in my left side, which causes me to fall or get really weak and I have trouble standing.
“My epilepsy also affects my ability to stand for too long. I get symptoms like dizziness, light-headedness and weakness — shaking and trembling which affects my mobility especially with my other condition on top of that.”
In July, the married couple were returning to their home town of Seymour from Melbourne on a packed peak hour service.
“We were catching the 4.32pm train from Melbourne Spencer St Station back to Seymour, and it was pretty much crowded,” Robbie said.
“We had to stand as far as Kilmore East. That is very disappointing when they could’ve put extra carriages on.
“There are people who have special needs, that have walking sticks or mobility supports, and they need to be able to sit down on a seat.”
Despite asking fellow passengers to vacate their seats, Robbie, who also struggles to stand for long periods of time, and Lucinda weren’t able to sit down, even in the priority section of the train.
“There are some people who shrug their shoulders and look the other way,” Robbie said.
“It’s ignorance or arrogance. It’s a bit disappointing that some people can’t accept people do have physical and mental disabilities.”
Robbie and Lucinda Wales say they hope people become more educated about the need to keep priority seats free for people who need them.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Lucinda said she didn’t know when she would experience her symptoms, and being among crowds without having the option of sitting down worried her.
“I struggle every day and every week, but I don’t know when these symptoms are going to happen, which makes it hard for me,” she said.
“It can happen within seconds. I start to feel it, but I can’t move to sit down quick enough before those symptoms start.”
Passengers who do not have physical limitations are required to vacate priority seats for those with priority needs.
A V/Line spokesperson said passengers could face fines if they failed to comply.
“Our priority is to ensure all of our passengers can get to where they need to go safely, which is why we work closely with accessibility groups to make our network better for all Victorians,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to deliver improvements that help ensure we can offer a safe, reliable and accessible experience for all passengers.
"If you are sitting in a priority seat and you do not give up your seat upon request, you can be fined up to $315."
The spokesperson added that passengers with priority needs who required assistance could speak to station staff, the conductor on board the service or Travellers Aid, which is located at Southern Cross and Seymour stations.
Lucinda and Robbie said they hoped people would become more educated about the need to keep these priority seats free for those who actually needed them.
They also said they wanted to see additional carriages added to trains.
“Being crammed into a three-carriage V/Line train is just too dangerous,” Lucinda said.
“People need to know that if you see someone with a disability or a medical condition, someone who needs a seat, please get up and move away from that seat.”
Passengers with accessibility needs can call 1800 800 007 prior to travelling to ensure V/Line staff are aware of their travel needs and can assist as needed.
