The new guide, introduced at the end of 2009, is the product of a year long project, costing £1.2 million, during which 700,000 photographs of Britain's 2,500 railway stations were photographed and hundreds of thousands of routes through them were planned. I didn't check, but I'm told that the system has, for example, found 44,000 different routes around London Bridge Station.
Leveling the Field
The online guide enables travelers to plan their way around rail stations, avoiding obstacles like stairs, steep ramps and narrow ticket barriers. It is also a good way to find station facilities - seating, luggage carts, escalators, lifts (elevators), ticket offices, ticket machines, baby changing facilites, shops and more.Originally planned to improve accessibility for passengers with disabilities and mobility problems, Stations Made Easy is packed with information that's also invaluable for anyone who has ever tried to juggle heavy luggage, laptops and shopping, while steering young children and pets up and down the steps of Britain's mostly 19th century train stations. It's linked to the National Rail Enquiries website, making that already useful online tool even more comprehensive.
