A man from Llandudno is aiming to make rail travel easier for people with Autism. He has experienced what its like to be in control of a train. On a visit to Cardiff, he was allowed to try out the Class 150 Train Simulator. This is usually reserved for Arriva’s trainee drivers.

Robert Mann is an Arriva Trains Wales Confident Travel Ambassador. He is a photographer who is also Autistic.

He travels to different schools and colleges to talk about how people can feel more confident at using trains.

What did they say?

Robert said “The simulator experience was extremely realistic and it genuinely felt as though I was driving a real train. It was very interesting to see how prospective train drivers learn to drive the trains so many people take for granted as well as finding out that drivers spend at least 10 weeks on the simulator before going out on the tracks. I will hopefully be able to use the experience in my role as Confident Travel Ambassador for Arriva Trains Wales, helping people to feel more comfortable in using the rail network here in Wales.”

Driver Training Manager Stephen Paramore put Robert through his paces and was impressed with how quickly he got to grips with the train. He said “It was brilliant to welcome Robert down to Cardiff and to let him experience the train simulator. It’s a state-of-the-art facility usually reserved for those on the driver training programme and is the nearest thing to driving a train in real life. As our Confident Travel Ambassador, Robert is doing a brilliant job in making the rail industry more inclusive so we thought he would really enjoy and benefit from the experience. He was a natural, picking up all the basic elements straight away and we hope he can now use the experience when talking to other autistic youngsters across Wales.”

Welsh actress Kimberley Nixon, who is an ambassador for the National Autistic Society Cymru, said “Using public transport can be quite challenging for autistic people who might need more support to enable them to travel safely and confidently. Robert’s work is an excellent way of helping raise awareness of autism among public transport operators themselves and by sharing his experiences it could also help other autistic people overcome their own anxieties.”

• Visit the Arriva Trains Wales Website
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