Tactile Grounds Surface Indicators for blind people missing at 26 Melbourne train stations

The state government has been accused of giving “prescription responses” to calls to have crucial infrastructure for the blind and vision impaired at train stations installed.

Vital safety infrastructure that stops blind and vision-impaired people falling onto train tracks is missing from dozens of stations across Melbourne, with the government being accused of giving “prescription responses” to calls it “should be mandatory”.

Tactile grounds surface indicators (TGSIs) are raised circles and bars which help those in need navigate their environment and detect potential hazards, such as a moving train or a drop from a platform, but these have not been fully installed at 26 stations across Melbourne.

The train lines most affected by the lack of tactile edges, as they are more commonly referred to, are Stony Point and Belgrave, which have seven stations without them fully installed, and Hurstbridge, which has six without full implementation.

In some instances, only one platform has the safety feature installed.

Vision Australia corporate affairs and advocacy general manager Chris Edwards said blind people relied on public transport and the raised bumps played a “vital role” around stairs and platform edges.

Vision Australia’s general manager of corporate affairs and advocacy Chris Edwards walks along Kooyong railway station, which has the TGSIs installed. Picture: Vision Australia

“The lack of tactile ground surface indicators can easily turn a train station into a very dangerous environment for someone who is blind or has low vision when it should be an avenue for inclusion and independence in the community,” he said.

“Over recent years we have had a number of people from the blind and low vision community accidentally step off train platforms resulting in very serious injury. TGSIs are a vital and essential safety support for people who are blind or have low vision to keep them safe when going about their daily commute.

“Vision Australia is of the position that tactile ground surface indicators should be mandatory at all train stations across Melbourne and there should be immediate work at stations where that is not the case.”

The Hurstbridge line has three consecutive stations without them: Heidelberg, Eaglemont and Ivanhoe.

Lilly Cascun has to walk 25 minutes to a train station because her nearest station, Ivanhoe, is not accessible for blind people due to a lack of TGSIs on the platforms.

This has created a problem for people like Lilly Cascun, a legally-blind VCE graduate about to embark on a journey at Melbourne University.

The teenager plans to study science after scoring 98.6 in Year 12 but is forced to walk 30 minutes to Darebin station because Ivanhoe doesn’t have TGSIs.

Despite using a cane, Lilly would still have to stand far closer to the edge of the platform at Ivanhoe than she would if the tactile bumps were in place.

Ivanhoe train station is one of 26 stations in Melbourne that does not have fully installed tactile grounds surface indicators.

Lilly and her mother Lisa Cascun don’t view her “as a victim” but wish the world was more accessible – for her and others who suffer from vision impairment.

Lisa questioned why, when the tactile edges were “on some street corners in the quietest neighbourhoods”, they weren’t at train stations.

“It should be straight forward … I don’t see it being a huge budgetary ticket item (for the government),” she said.

Tactile ground surface indicators installed at South Yarra station. Picture: Oscar Jaeger

After writing to both Metro and the government, Lisa said transport infrastructure minister Gabrielle Williams’ responses had been an “almost word for word” copy of what Metro Trains had sent to her.

“We’ve received a lot of standardised responses about our complaints, prescription responses that many friends and supporters have also received,” she said.

“I was so flattened by that … Just get them on.”

Lisa has started a petition to have TGSIs installed at Ivanhoe station that has more than 10,000 signatures.

All V-Line stations have the TGSIs installed.

The federal government’s Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Act (2002) legislates TGSIs will have to be installed at all stations by 2032.

The Department of Transport and Metro Trains have been contacted for comment.