Blind scholar, 23, who fell onto tracks when railway station help failed to fulfill him at platform will get £18,000 in compensation
A blind student who fell onto tracks at a busy railway station after an assistant failed to meet him at the platform has been handed £18,000 in compensation.
Abdul Eneser, 23, injured his knees, hands and neck and suffers from ongoing anxiety after the incident at Manchester Piccadilly in May 2022.
He managed to pull himself back onto the platform just 60 seconds before a non-stop freight train passed over the tracks.
The masters law student at the University of Strathclyde had booked Passenger Assist in advance.
However when he arrived by train at the station at midnight on a later service than planned, due to missing a connection at Preston because of delays, and he was told all Passenger Assist staff had gone home.
This was despite Avanti West Coast staff at Preston telling him they would radio through to Manchester Piccadilly to tell them he was on the train.
Mr Eneser tried to find the steps to leave the station but stumbled onto the tracks.
The law firm Leigh Day launched court proceedings against Network Rail under the 2010 Equality Act and the Occupiers Liability Act 1957, for failing to install tactile paving at the station.
Abdul Eneser, 23, injured his knees, hands and neck and suffers from ongoing anxiety after he fell onto the tracks at Manchester Piccadilly in May 2022
Pictured: Manchester Piccadilly station. Mr Eneser had been told that someone would meet him at the station to assist him. However when he arrived at the station no one was there
This paving is used to warn blind and visually impaired people they are approaching a hazard such as a platform edge, often by using raised studs.
Network Rail did not admit liability but agreed to pay Mr Eneser £18,000 inb compensation.
Mr Eneser said: ‘This case is about much more than compensation.
‘Poor accessibility in rail travel is not just a one-off issue.
‘This is something that prevents myself and others with visual impairments from travelling with confidence.
‘I’m not always sure that I’ll be met with the right level of support to complete my journeys.
‘At the best of times, it makes travel stressful, and in the worst-case scenario it can be really dangerous.’
Leigh Day senior associate solicitor Kate Egerton said: ‘Network Rail and train operators have a clear obligation to ensure that train stations are accessible for all.
Mr Eneser managed to pull himself back onto the platform just 60 seconds before a non-stop freight train passed through
‘Not only is it distressing for passengers with visual impairments to try to navigate inaccessible platforms and services, it is also extremely dangerous.
‘Whilst I am pleased that we were able to secure this settlement for Abdul, his case and continued experiences highlight wider accessibility issues across the rail network that need to be addressed.’
A Network Rail spokesperson said: ‘We are extremely sorry for the experience Abdul Eneser suffered at Manchester Piccadilly.
‘We let him down and have offered him our full and unreserved apology.
‘We recognise that there is much to do to make the railway more accessible for all and are working closely with industry partners to deliver these improvements across the rail network as quickly as we can.’
In July last year, the Department for Transport said the roll out of tactile paving across all railway stations in Britain had been completed.
This followed the death of blind charity worker Cleveland Gervais, 53, who fell from a platform at Eden Park station in Beckenham, south-east London – which had no tactile paving – in February 2020 and was struck by a train.
