Hyderabad Metro Rail as a Disabled friendly system

  Hyderabad Metro Rail is being designed and executed as a Disabled friendly system.  The following are some of the important features which will make Hyderabad Metro disabled friendly.

·         Special care is being taken to build Metro stations and trains to cater to the needs of people with mobility impairment (wheelchair passengers), visual impairment (blind people), hearing impairment (deaf), speech and cognitive impairment (dumb).

·         Stations are designed to provide barrier free environment for physically      challenged.  Ramps are provided at the road level of Metro stations tofacilitate wheelchair movement upto the lifts.

·    Bigger lifts are provided to easily accommodate and manoeuvre wheel

§  chairs.   Lifts will have hand rail inside for the aid of physically

§  challenged and elderly people.

·         The heights of operating buttons in lifts, fare gates, Ticket Vending Machines (TVM) etc., are designed in such a way to enable access for the physically challenged.

·         Lift operating buttons will have information in Braille at all levels of the stations to help blind persons.

·         Tactile strip will be provided throughout the stations from street level right upto the edge of the platform so that blind persons can get into the train on their own by tapping the floor with walking stick.

·         The gap between the platform and train floor will be maintained in such a way that wheelchairs can easily get into the trains and blind people will not get their feet accidentally trapped in the gap between the platform and the train door.

·         Specially designated wheelchair spaces will be provided in the metro trains to lock the wheelchairs to a special  `grab hold ` in the train.

·         Special toilet with provisions for physically challenged persons will be provided at each station.   These toilets will be equipped with grab bars and supports to aid them.

  

·         Wide Automatic Fare collection gates will be provided for wheelchair passengers.

·         Ticket Vending Machines (TVM)s are designed to aid the passenger with speech impairment.

·         Signage is designed with high contrast levels to aid passengers with limited visual capacity and those with cognitive disabilities. Pictograms along with signage will facilitate people with disabilities and illiterate people to easily access different areas of the stations and trains without anybody’s help.

·         Stainless steel grab holds and rails will be provided in the standing areas of the trains for the comfort and safety of standing passengers.

·         Announcements will be made in three languages to aid passengers who are unable to see and read the information.   Announcements will tell the next station; platform side on which the door will open; and other safety guidelines.