Period Product Dispensers Installed Across the Major Birmingham Train Stations

March 14, 2023

Birmingham’s major railway stations are providing free sustainable sanitary products to combat period poverty. The scheme, funded by Network Rail and the West Midlands Grand Railway Collaboration, offers passengers access to chemical-free, bamboo-based sanitary pads and tampons. This initiative builds upon last year’s installation of a vending machine providing free sanitary products at Birmingham New Street Station. The same offering is now available at Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street stations.

Studies indicate that up to 10% of UK girls aged 14 to 21 cannot afford appropriate sanitary items. The annual cost of tampons and pads totals an average of £128, and one in seven female students rely on friends to provide them with necessary sanitary products. The collaborative effort aims to break down the existing barriers between travel and period poverty, providing girls with autonomous travel in an accessible rail network.

The Grand Railway Collaboration’s head, Lucy Wootton, expressed pride in the group’s efforts to improve passengers’ experiences across the rail network. The initiative aims to provide comfort and ease for all passengers and contribute to the fight against period poverty. The directors of Network Rail and Chiltern Railways involved in the scheme expressed their determination to remove this barrier and make the region’s rail network accessible to all.

SaniStation^®, working in partnership with period product provider Hey Girls, supplied the Period Product Dispenser units which are now installed across the railway station estate.

Full article here: Birmingham rail’s collaborative approach to tackling ‘period poverty’ | Rail News