The 23rd Meeting of the Passenger Accessibility Solutions Support and Action Group for Europe, PASSAGE, Working Group was held in Stockholm, on 26 and 27 October. The meeting was hosted by Mr Niklas Henrikson, from Trafikverket, and chaired by the president of the group, Mr Hans Christian Kirketerp-Møller (DSB). Mr Luis Casado Presa, Senior Advisor, represented UIC. Representatives from NS, RENFE, SNCF, NMBS/SNCB, SBB/CFF/FFS, DSB, ČD, Trafikverket, ZSSK, MAV-START, Trenitalia, RFI, ÖBB and CER, attended the meeting.

As usual, the meeting started with a report from all the attendees on the latest news about accessibility in the railways of their companies and countries, which led to debates about the different situations that were explained by attendees. Next, the group discussed the results of the study about the Provision of Services with Staff Limitation, one of the topics they had been working since the last meeting, and the carriage of scooters for PRMs by train, which can be considered as an issue in many companies.

The second day started with a presentation given by the chairman of the UIC East West Traffic Committee, Mr Jan Vavra, who wants to bring Accessibility as a topic to his working group. This was followed by a discussion on the work conducted on Ticket Vending Machines over the last few months. The meeting ended with a Technical Visit to the new commuter station under Stockholm Central Station, and the new tunnel under the city; Ms Maria Bergman, from Trafikverket, acted as a guide.

The next PASSAGE meeting will take place in Vienna, on 21 and 22 March 2017, kindly hosted by ÖBB.