Day 4 (Mostar) – Bosnian Railway Experience
Bosnian Railways are not renounced for being wheelchair accessible, in fact, there is no information widely available. For this reason, one had close email contact with the railways prior to ensure that everything ran according to plan.
A few days prior to ones visit, an email was received from Sarajevo railway station with a map with directions showing the accessible route to the platforms. No need for this though as a guy (dressed in ordinary clothing may I add!) caught us at the ticket office and guided us around the back of the station onto the platforms. This part is all ramped, however the issue comes when you are required to cross the track. Rather than flush concrete or tarmac as one would expect at a level crossing, wooden slats are used with giant gaps between said slats and the rails making it very difficult to roll over in a wheelchair. It was then that our train came into view…
Now, as said trains are manufactured in Spain, one is aware of the need for a wheelchair space and a ramp to be onboard in order to comply with Spanish legislation. When questioned about this, the Railways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed that they did indeed have a wheelchair space onboard, however, a ramp was only available at Sarajevo and not Mostar which seemed slightly odd. In addition, when one went to board, the staff wished to lift the wheelchair which, as we know, translates to either ‘we can’t be bothered’ or ‘we have these foreign trains with a ramp but we don’t know how to use it’. Anyway, one gave them the benefit of the doubt at Sarajevo until I could scout it out for myself…
Although they placed us in first class i.e. a carriage to ourselves, one wished to just check out the wheelchair space in the next carriage and, lo and behold, a ramp was indeed present!
As one can see, there is also anchor rails should you wish to use tie down restraints, however I am presuming that they are hidden away, never to see the light of day!
Anyway, let’s talk about the journey along which is supposedly one of the worlds most scenic railway lines. As I mentioned, Sarajevo is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and it is these that make the journey worthwhile shortly after leaving the city.
Although a large proportion of the section of track which winds its way through the Dinaric Alps is in tunnels, one can still catch glimpses of breath taking views…
Granted that the route would appear differently if a weather warning wasn’t in force, however, the above shows that it can be enjoyed in any weather.
On a side note, it is worth noting that the platforms at Sarajevo train station provide little to no lighting after dark so it is a good idea to bring a torch, especially when crossing the track!
