In catering to persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, Guadalajara’s Tren Ligero line has stolen a base on subway networks in the likes of New York, London and Paris.
New infrastructure for people with disabilities was unveiled this week at stations on the Linea Dos route running from Tonala to the Parque Revolution.
The most noteworthy innovation is the installation of stair lifts at the entrances to the 13 stations on the route. Tactile guide paths (in yellow) for the sight impaired have been fitted in all station forecourts and along the platforms, in addition to maps in braille.
According to a Jalisco government press release, Guadalajara is the first network in the world to provide “100-percent” disabled accessibility along a single subway route.
The project cost 32.5 million pesos ($US1.5 million) and will benefit around 2,900 people who use the route each month, said Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval.
Full accessibility for the disabled on Line One should be installed by the end of next year, he said, while Line Three, currently under construction, will include the corresponding infrastructure.