Mind the gap: Wheelchair passengers question accessibility of new Mark V SkyTrains

It has been one month since TransLink announced a “new era” for SkyTrain as its new Mark V trains rolled into service, but some commuters say they’ve seen a step backward in accessibility.

TransLink has ordered 235 Mark V train cars, which will eventually replace older trains serving both the Expo and Millennium lines. The transit authority has touted their wider aisles and open multi-use areas that can accommodate strollers, wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

2:10 Accessibility issues remain on SkyTrain in Vancouver

But transit users like Janice Laurence say the new train cars aren’t level with many of the stations’ platforms, forcing riders to hop up as much as five centimetres to get aboard.

For commuters like Laurence, who uses a wheelchair, that is a problem.

“Look at how high that is. There shouldn’t be a gap like that,” she told Global News.

“Sometimes I’ve waited for three trains because I physically couldn’t get on.”

Laurence said the new trains should be flush with the platforms, and that she was frustrated the new trains weren’t better equipped for people with mobility issues.

0:53 Next generation Mark V SkyTrain cars now in service on Expo Line

Tessa Schmidt, who gets around with a wheelchair and a service dog, said she recently became stuck halfway on one of the new trains because she couldn’t get her back wheel aboard.

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Passengers on the train had to hold the doors open so she could back out; her dog had already boarded ahead of her, and she said she feared he could have been separated or hurt.

“I was excited for the new trains to come in, and I expected there to be issues and concerns with new modes of transportation, new things, but I did not expect it to be a couple of inches,” she said.

“I find it frustrating because this is an issue that they should have looked at for not just people in wheelchairs, but people with walkers and elderly people pulling carts… TransLink is spending a lot of money on these new trains.”

Schmidt said TransLink is well aware of the issue, as its station attendants are frequently called on to help people get aboard the trains.

She added that a staff member told her TransLink was looking into possibly adapting the platforms to address the problem.

TransLink says it tested the new trains extensively and that a review of its platform gaps found they met safety and accessibility standards.

“Our gaps go above and beyond when it comes to the Americans with Disabilities Act standards,” spokesperson Anita Bathe said.

2:57 Sneak peak into massive Broadway SkyTrain project

However, she said “there’s always room for improvement,” and that the transit agency wants feedback from its riders.

“We want to make sure going forward that no rider has to experience something like this, and we will look at the issue at hand and try to make improvements going forward,” she added.

Laurence and Schmidt both say they hope to see improvements that will make it easier for everyone with mobility challenges to access the transit system.

In the meantime, Schmidt called on other commuters to give their fellow passengers a hand.

“If you see someone struggling to get on the train, maybe offer them help, don’t be looking at your phone as someone’s trying to navigate onto a train and not moving out of their way,” she said.

“If you see a person with a mobility device, you can also go and flag down an attendant for help so that the person with the disability doesn’t have to go and do that and take more time out of the day.”