Accessibility

When you’re travelling with us, you can get train details and emergency information from any member of staff, or information screens at stations and on trains.

We’re committed to making all our announcements and written information suitable for people with visual and hearing impairments. Our helpful customer service staff are trained in disability awareness, and understand the need to speak clearly, especially when making announcements.

If you need any assistance when you’re travelling with us, just ask any member of staff. There are also Help Points on every platform at all of our stations. All Help Points are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our Help Point operators have access to train service updates, can advise on train and station accessibility and can help with any queries you may have. If it’s necessary, they can arrange alternative transport for you. 

Every one of our station ticket offices has an induction loop – switch your hearing aid to T to use it. The same applies to our Help Points in the London area, and we’re working hard to roll this out to Help Points throughout our network as we renew facilities at our stations.

If you’re disabled or you’ve booked assistance, we’ll help you with your luggage free of charge. This can include 1 item of hand luggage small enough to hold on your lap if required, plus up to 2 items of luggage each no bigger than 30x70x90cm (12x27x36 inches).

Some of our stations with long walking distances between platforms will also have luggage trolleys available to make transporting your own belongings easier.

Bear in mind that space on trains is limited, so you may have problems finding room for bulky or heavy luggage as well as getting around with it.

There are passenger toilets at many of our stations, and a number include toilets accessible to wheelchair users and RADAR key holders. All station toilets are only available when the station is staffed.

Stations with accessible facilities currently include: Aldershot, Ascot, Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Brentford, Chandler’s Ford, Clapham Junction, Dorchester South, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Farnham, Fleet, Guildford, Kingston, Mortlake, Norbiton, Petersfield, Portsmouth & Southsea, Richmond, Salisbury, Southampton Airport (Parkway), Southampton Central, Surbiton, Weybridge, Wimbledon, Winchester, Windsor & Eton Riverside and Woking.

Toilets, including at least 1 wheelchair accessible toilet, are available on all of our long distance trains but not on all suburban trains. If you have any questions about accessible toilet facilities, please contact us.

All of our stations with car parks include designated parking spaces for Blue Badge holders who are using our trains. When these spaces are in the main car park, normal charges apply. If you are unable to use the ticket machines then you can pay for your car parking at the ticket office instead. Our car parks are patrolled to ensure that the designated spaces are used only by holders of valid Blue Badges.

We have over 400 self-service ticket machines available at our stations. These are all accessible to wheelchair users and sell a wide range of tickets for travel, including those with Disabled Persons Railcard discounts. We are working very hard to update our machines and make them more accessible, particularly to people with visual impairments.

You can buy tickets in advance when booking Assisted Travel. 

Find out about more ways to buy your ticket.

Assistance dogs are welcome on all of our trains, free of charge. If you’re travelling with an assistance dog and there are no Standard Class seats available, you can upgrade to First Class for free without having to wait for the guard’s approval. Bear in mind that animals are not allowed on seats in any circumstances.

Our mums to be pack gives you a badge and babygrow, as well as a leaflet of helpful tips for travelling while pregnant, and with young children. There’s a guard on every train who can, if needed, upgrade your standard class ticket to first class for no extra charge if they can’t find you a seat in standard.