Making Rail Travel Easier
We are working hard to make rail travel easier for everyone. Trains are being improved so that customers have access to good quality visual and audible information. Priority seats for disabled people and designated wheelchair areas are being put into many carriages. Many toilets are wheelchair accessible, with more being planned. 
We’re also addressing the diverse needs of our customers at stations. Much of this work is being funded through the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme which has already furnished a number of key stations with lifts, and has introduced lots of smaller improvements such as automatic doors, lowered ticket office sales points, and induction loops for people with hearing difficulties. More information about the improvements in your area can be obtained from your local train operator or the Department for Transport website.
Assistance
We can provide you with help using our services. If you need assistance we recommend that you book it at least 24 hours in advance of travel.
Booking in advance enables train companies to check the accessibility of the stations you will be using, help you plan the journey best suited to your needs, and if necessary, arrange alternative transport to the nearest accessible station.
The 24-hour notice period also gives us time, where possible, to relocate staff to assist you. This is important if you are going to travel at a time when a station is usually unstaffed.
Contact details for booking assistance can be found in the table on the page opposite.
Planning your journey
For more information on the facilities at stations contact National Rail Enquiries on:
Phone: 08457 48 49 50*
Textphone: 0845 60 50 600
Website: www.nationalrail.co.uk
*Calls to this number are charged at the local rate and maybe recorded.
Assistance services
| Company | Telephone | Textphone |
|---|---|---|
| Arriva Trains Wales www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk |
08453 003 005 | 0870 410 0355 |
| c2c www.c2c-online.co.uk |
01702 357 640 | 08457 125 988 |
| Chiltern Railways www.chilternrailways.co.uk |
08456 005 165 | 08457 078 051 |
| CrossCountry www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk |
0844 811 0125 | 0844 811 0126 |
| East Midlands Trains www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk |
08457 125 678 | 08457 078 051 |
| First Capital Connect www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk |
0800 058 2844 | 0800 975 1052 |
| First Great Western www.firstgreatwestern.com |
08001 971 329 | 08002 949 209 |
| First ScotRail www.firstscotrail.com |
0800 912 2901 | 0800 912 2899 |
| First Transpennine Express www.tpexpress.co.uk |
0800 107 2149 | 0800 107 2061 |
| Gatwick Express www.gatwickexpress.co.uk |
08458 501 530 | |
| Hull Trains www.hulltrains.co.uk |
08450 710 222 | 08456 786 967 |
| Island Line www.island-line.com |
0800 528 2100 | 0800 692 0792 |
| London Midland www.londonmidland.com |
08706 09 60 60 | 08457 07 80 51 |
| London Overground www.tfl.gov.uk |
08456 014 867 | 08457 125 988 |
| Merseyrail www.merseyrail.org |
0870 055 2681 | 0151 702 2071 |
| National Express East Anglia www.nationalexpress.com |
08000 282 878 | 0845 606 7245 |
| National Express East Coast www.youreastcoast.co.uk |
08457 225 444 | 08457 202 067 |
| Northern Rail www.northernrail.org |
08456 008 008 | 08456 045 608 |
| Southeastern www.southeasternrailway.co.uk |
08007 834 524 | 08007 834 548 |
| South West Trains www.southwesttrains.co.uk |
0800 528 2100 | 0800 692 0792 |
| Southern www.southernrailway.com |
0800 138 1016 | 0800 138 1018 |
| Virgin Trains www.virgintrains.co.uk |
08457 443 366 | 08457 443 367 |
Help us help you
Do make your needs known to us. Rail staff are trained to give you help. So, if you are likely to require help getting on and off trains or receiving information, please tell our staff. This will help them to help you if disruption affects your journey.
Please be aware there are limits to the amount of assistance we can provide. We cannot escort customers throughout their whole journey, neither can we provide personal care (for example, help with eating and drinking, taking medication or using the toilet) or carry heavy luggage.
Most trains can accomodate wheelchairs that are within the dimensions prescribed in government regulations covering public transport (700mm wide, 1200mm long). There are a small number of older trains that can only currently carry wheelchairs that have a maximum width of 670mm.
The maximum combined weight of a person and their wheelchair that can be conveyed is limited by: the capabilities of the individual member of staff assisting the passenger and the stated maximum safe working load of the ramp (between 230kg and 300kg).
There are a limited number of spaces available to wheelchair users on each train, we therefore recommend that you book your space in advance.
Powered scooters
Because scooters come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, many have problems on trains, including: tipping backwards on ramps; being heavier than the ramp’s safeworking load; or being the wrong shape to manoeuvre safely inside a carriage.
These problems mean that some companies have trains that cannot carry scooters. So if you are a scooter-user who wants to travel by rail, you should contact the train company to check they can safely accommodate your scooter. Details of each train operator's scooter policy can be found by clicking here.