Disabled people's protection policy

Covering over 1,400 route miles and calling at over 100 stations - stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance, and from Stansted to Cardiff - CrossCountry is the most extensive rail network in Great Britain. With Birmingham at its core, CrossCountry provides fast services to major English cities including Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Bristol and Southampton as well as the capitals of Wales and Scotland.

Making rail accessible: Helping older and disabled passengers 

Please note: Our call centre closes at 8pm so you can book assistance up until 8pm the day before your journey. You do not have to give more than 24 hours’ notice to book assistance.

Policy Summary

This document sets out our current arrangements for meeting the needs of customers who are disabled, or whose mobility is impaired. We will support independent travel as far as possible, with the standards of information and access raised across the board so that customers with mobility difficulties have more confidence in travelling.

At CrossCountry our policy is to maintain, and improve, current standards of accessibility to services for people with disabilities(including those which are less obvious), the elderly or those whose mobility is impaired.

We will take account of provisions within the Equality Act 2010 working with other rail industry partners to ensure compliance where complementary services (such as station services) are supplied under contract. We strive to deliver a high standard of care to all of our customers.

We will work closely with Transport Focus, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and other local and nationwide user groups representing the interests of disabled passengers, in order to continuously improve the levels of service we offer disabled customers. We also work closely with our station colleagues and suppliers to ensure that sufficient resource is made available, not only to deliver Passenger Assistance but to continuously look for ways to improve the passenger experience.

Our policy is a ‘live’ document and is always under development. We will carry out a full review annually with each version approved by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Assistance for Passengers

Passenger Assistance is available across the rail network to enable elderly and disabled passengers to receive extra help when travelling should they need it.

Working with the station teams, we can arrange for:

• ramps to assist disabled passengers to get on and off trains
• an employee to provide a helping hand with getting on or off the train or climbing stairs
• an employee to provide guidance to a blind or visually impaired passenger
• a wheelchair to help with transfer between the station entrance and the train
• depending on the level of assistance or physical access required we can provide a taxi for disabled passengers travelling from an inaccessible station to one accessible to them

Please be advised we are unable to:

• accompany passengers throughout their entire journey
• provide personal care, such as help with eating and drinking, taking medication or using the toilet
• carry heavy or excessive amounts of luggage
• provide assistance outside of our stations areas, i.e. into high streets or across roads

If you need support or assistance in making your journey our Passenger Assist service is here to help. Our dedicated staff can provide information about CrossCountry services, (including details of changed arrangements due to engineering work), the services available at the stations we stop at, and arrange any assistance you will need when you make your journey. You can also buy tickets and make reservations for your journey through the Passenger Assist service. Our call centre closes at 8pm so you can book assistance up until 8pm the day before your journey. You do not have to give more than 24 hours’ notice to book assistance. Therefore, if you want to contact us outside our call centre hours please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 and you’ll be directed to available Call Centres where you can make your assistance booking.

We also understand that it isn’t always possible to book assistance in advance. Therefore if you do need on the day assistance, please just speak to a member of station staff or contact our Passenger Assist team and we will do as much as we can to try and help. When booking your assistance with us, we will also send you an email (where possible) confirming all of the details you have provided to give you extra peace of mind. Where time permits, we can send a copy by post if you need one. Although our Passenger Assist team is dedicated to CrossCountry, they have access to the national systems and Knowledge base databases and will be happy to help you wherever you’re planning to travel on the national rail network, regardless of the train operating company involved. Their details follow:

 *Currently our Assisted Travel team is not available on 25th and 26th of December as we do not operate train services on those days. However, other train operating companies Assisted Travel teams are available on 26th December and can book assistance at stations and on trains for all train services. Please contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 who will be happy to transfer you to the appropriate team when our offices are closed.

Please note, calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and count towards any inclusive minutes you may have with your phone providing the same way as 01 and 02 calls do.

Alternatively, you may want to contact your local station’s Train Operating Company (station details are provided at the back of this document). They will be able to provide information, reserve seats or wheelchair accommodation on CrossCountry services as well as arranging assistance for any rail journey.

To ensure that the best possible assistance is provided we recommend that you book in advance (prior to the day of travel). Passenger Assist allows reservations to be made through the central Passenger Assist system. We strongly recommend that reservations are made. There will however be occasions where this may not be possible. In these circumstances, we will do everything possible to provide the appropriate accommodation and all necessary assistance.

If you have not pre-arranged your journey please advise a member of the station team or the Train Crew, and they will endeavour to arrange help for you. Priority will however be given to customers who have booked assistance and spaces/seats in advance.

As we do not operate any stations, any assistance provided before boarding or after alighting the train will be provided by that station’s operator. We will ensure that information regarding any changes to the service provided is made available at the earliest opportunity and appropriate alternatives are offered to enable you to make your journey.

Passenger information

We recognise that clear, concise information can make a real difference in making travelling by train easier. You can get detailed information about our services and the stations we stop at through our Passenger Assist service. And you can request this information in alternative written or audio formats.

Alternatively, our website gives full details of station facilities. We work with the station operators to ensure this information is as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

The live database – ‘Stations Made Easy’– also gives details of accessibility and facilities at all national rail stations. This Database is updated as required to take account of temporary or permanent changes to accessibility facilities. It can be accessed through the National Rail Enquiries website at: www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations or by calling 03457 48 49 50). Updates including live train service information and details of planned engineering works can also be obtained from National Rail Enquiries,either by telephone or online.

Copies of this document are made available free of charge from all staffed stations which CrossCountry serve.

 Tickets and fares

You can buy your ticket on our website – crosscountrytrains.co.uk for travel on any train in Great Britain. If there’s time we will send your tickets to your home address or arrange for you to collect them from a self-service machine if the facility is available at the station where your journey starts. You can also print off your tickets at home or at work for many of our services.

Our website is the best place to find our cheapest tickets, plus you can buy tickets in conjunction with a Disabled Persons Railcard if you have one. If you’re also booking assistance, please check that this can be provided for the journey you want to make with our JourneyCare team and let them book your tickets at the same time.

Discounts for Disabled Passengers The Disabled Persons Railcard is welcomed for purchasing reduced price travel on all CrossCountry trains. This allows you, and an adult companion travelling with you, to get 1/3 off most Standard and First Class fares throughout Great Britain.

Details are available from any staffed station or by phoning the Disabled Persons Railcard Application helpline on 0345 605 0525 or by using the Disabled Persons Railcard website: www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk.

Passengers travelling in their own wheelchair are entitled to a discount on some fares even if they do not hold a Railcard. A companion is also eligible for the same discount.

Customers with visual impairments are also eligible for reduced Anytime fares even if they do not have a Railcard. If you are registered as blind or visually impaired, a document from a recognised institution such as Social Services, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Blind Veterans UKor a local authority confirming yourdisability must be shown when buying a ticket and travelling, The discount applies to both youand a companion but if you are travelling alone you do not receive the discount.

Discounts which are available include:

• First class/standard Anytime singles or returns 34% off
• First class/standard Anytime Day single 34% off
• First class/standard Anytime Day return 50% off

These reduced-rate tickets can be bought only from ticket offices or aboard the train. For many journeys you may find that non-discounted Advance or Off-peak tickets are cheaper. Please check before you buy.

Other ways to buy your ticket:

• You can buy your ticket by calling our Passenger Assist reservation service in good time on 0344 811 0125 or by textphone on 0344 811 0126.We will send it to your home address or arrange for you to collect it from a selfservicemachine if a suitable one is available at the station where your journey starts
• You can buy your ticket from any staffed station ticket office for travel on most train journeys
• Self-service ticket machines are available at a number of stations.

If disability prevents you from buying your ticket before boarding the train our staff will still offer you the same range of walk-up fares on the train as those available at stations, with any appropriate reduction applied.

At the station

We call at over 100 stations, ranging from major terminals to unstaffed stations, but do not operate any of them. Details of station operators are shown in Section 12 at the end of this document.

The ease of access and the facilities at stations varies considerably from one to another. Most stations were built in the 19th Century when consideration of the requirements for access by people with disabilities was often paid little regard. Considerable improvements have been made at a number of stations across the national rail network and we will actively work with station operators in the planning of upgraded facilities.

At stations where our services call we have formal agreements in place with the relevant station operators (either another Train Operating Company or Network Rail). These agreements require them to arrange mobility assistance at staffed and unstaffed stations according to the station operators own policy.We regularly review the effectiveness of these arrangements with the station operators. The table at the end of this document shows the station operator at each of the stations where we stop. Our trains serve both staffed and unstaffed stations and levels of accessibility can vary a lot. When you call our Passenger Assist team they will advise on the facilities available at the stations we serve, help you plan your journey, explain how we can help you and also book assistance or make arrangements so that you can complete your journey. CrossCountry undertakes joint contract audits with the operators of those stations where our trains call to review the provision of services and facilities. We also conduct a review of the facilities and services provided for customers with disabilities, or whose mobility is impaired, forms an important feature of these audits. Specifically, we work with the station operators to ensure that:

• changes to a station’s infrastructure do not impede the ability of disabled passengers to access the station, and that any changes are publicised appropriately and through the ‘Stations made easy’database
• clear, consistent and up-to-date information about train departures is provided both aurally and visually
• information points are provided at larger stations to provide information regarding station facilities, train times, service disruption and connecting transport in a useful, clear manner
• Ticket machines provided at stations are accessible any ticket gates are either staffed or locked open. Where gates are in place, a wide gate is always available for those passengers who find the narrow gates difficult or impossible to use.
• booked assistance with luggage is provided by station staff and should be booked when assistance for the journey is booked. Staff will assist as much as they are able when assistance is not pre-booked
• any left luggage facilities (including lockers) offered at stations are accessible to all users
• suitable ramps at stations to assist in boarding the train are provided (all our trains carry ramps to enable disabled passengers to board / alight from the train at stations where ramps and/or station staff may not be available)
• every effort is made to ensure disabled passengers’ access to station facilities operated by third parties – e.g. shops and services

Alternative accessible transport

Some stations may not be fully accessible to you. As we do not operate any stations we work with station operators to ensure that when or where a station is inaccessible, suitable alternative arrangements are provided. Our Passenger Assist service can provide details of your nearest or most convenient accessible station or arrange an alternative form of transport (such as a suitable taxi or an alternative train service) to another accessible station according to your needs and the station operator’s own policy.

Where practicable we will ensure that provisions are made for disabled customers when procuring taxi and bus services. When negotiating such contracts, priority will be given to companies with appropriate vehicles. Where there is a requirement to replace trains with buses(for instance during engineering works or during times of disruption), we will endeavour to provide accessible vehicles to enable disabled customers to be accommodated. However, if these are not available, alternative arrangements will be made (such as provision of a suitable taxi) at no additional cost to you.

If the service you are due to travel on is replaced by other modes of transport, we will (through announcements and station display screens), give aural and visual information to enable you to find suitable transport.

On the trains

Aural and visual information
All trains have public address equipment. Our trains (which are either Voyager or Turbostar models) also have a visual display in each coach showing the train’s destination and next stop. The on-board team will make clear announcements within two minutes when delays occur. They will also announce prior to reaching each station, sufficiently in advance to enable you to be ready to alight. If you have difficulty hearing such announcements you should advise a member of the on-board team at the earliest opportunity.

Seats on trains
You can reserve a seat, free of charge, on many of our trains, and with some types of tickets you will get a seat reservation automatically. When you buy your tickets on our website, you can choose where you want to sit from a plan of the train layout, and reserve that seat if it is available.

All our trains have a number of ‘priority’ seats. These are intended for passengers who cannot stand for long periods of time. Reservation of these seats is also controlled through the Passenger Assist system and they are only made generally available when all other reservable seats are booked.

If you travel without a reservation our on-train staff will do their best to ensure you get a seat.

Travelling with a wheelchair
All our trains can carry manual or powered wheelchairs, but these need to be within the following dimensional and weight limitations:

Summary of wheelchair accommodation limitations

 All trains have a wheelchair space in Standard class. Our Voyager trains and High Speed Trains also have a wheelchair space in First Class. The location of wheelchair spaces is clearly indicated on the exterior of the train by the wheelchair users’ logo next to the appropriate door.

Wheelchair accessible toilets are available close to the wheelchair accommodation.

Ramps are available at staffed stations served by CrossCountry.

We will ensure that any spaces dedicated for wheelchairs are not used for any other purpose and the need to keep these spaces clear is a specific part of our luggage policy.

Travelling with a Scooter
Our trains can convey certain types of mobility scooter, however you must be able to transfer to seat and store your scooter in the appropriate luggage section of the train. As explained in the above section, the wheelchair space must be kept free for permanent wheelchair users and so storage of your scooter in this area of the train is not permitted. However, if the wheelchair space is not reserved you may use this but should also be prepared to vacate the space should a permanent wheelchair user board the train. 

Many of the larger powered scooters cannot be conveyed on CrossCountry due to their weight, dimensions and lack of maneuverability. They may also pose a safety risk to other passengers. Scooters with a small triangular footprint may, however be able to obtain access. You should seek advice from the Journeycare team.

Users with a model which can be folded down or dismantled into lightweight manageable components may take their scooter onto the train as luggage. Customers or a travelling companion will need to be able to carry the folded or dismantled scooter on or off the train. It should be stowed in the luggage rack or dedicated luggage compartment located in coach D of our Voyager trains. Please note, CrossCountry will not be held liable for any loss or damage to scooters which are brought on board.

Please note that during times of service disruption or engineering work, the operators of replacement transport services such as buses, coaches and taxis may be unable to accommodate scooters and so you should take this into consideration when planning your journey. We will of course do our very best to sort an alternative where possible, however we cannot be held responsible for any delay, inconvenience or additional costs incurred as a result of your scooter not being able to be transported.

Our rolling stock
A list of the different types of rolling stock used by CrossCountry and the routes on which they normally run is shown below:

In every case, a wheelchair accessible toilet is provided close to each wheelchair space.

More information regarding our trains and seating layout can be found at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/onboard-with-crosscountry/our-trains

On-board service
Our on-board staff are briefed to look out for customers who need extra help appropriate assistance when necessary, including help alighting from the train. 

To make the most of your journey we offer a wide range of food and drink, all served to you at your seat, on many of our long- distance services (more information can be found at https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/on-boardwith-crosscountry/food-drink or by calling our Passenger Assist team). Our at-seat service is available between 06.00 and 20.00 on services between Birmingham New Street and:

• Bristol Temple Meads / Plymouth
• Manchester Piccadilly
• Newcastle / Edinburgh
• Reading / Bournemouth

Catering is not provided at all on some services and may not be available throughout the entire length of the journey. Our Passenger Assist team can provide you with more information in advance of your journey and our onboard team will be more than happy to help you with any specific queries on the day.

Making connections

You can travel by CrossCountry to reach many parts of the country and if there’s not a direct train, you can get to many places by making one change. Where a change of train is necessary we will ensure that this change can be made as easily as possible by suggesting alternative connecting stations or through the use of station assistance. Many of our customers start or finish their journeys on train services provided by other Train Operating Companies. CrossCountry will liaise with other train and station operators to review, and where practical improve interchange arrangements for all customers. We have identified alternative interchange locations to Birmingham New Street such as Cheltenham Spa, Derby, Leamington Spa and Wolverhampton. Feedback from Passengers is that these stations can often be an easier and more convenient place to change trains. Please call our Passenger Assist team on 0344 811 0125 for advice on connections – our JourneyCare team will also be able to book your tickets on any operator’s services.

We will also work with station operators to request that other transport connecting with stations is accessible, or an accessible alternative is provided as far as is reasonably practicable.

At stations where trains terminate, we will ensure that help is on-hand as quickly as possible. You can expect for assistance to be given within five minutes after the arrival of the train (where assistance has been requested).

Disruption to facilities and services

There are occasions where train services may be disrupted. In the event of serious delay we want to ensure that the needs of all customers are met, with particular regard paid to the requirements of customers with disabilities and those whose mobility is impaired. Anyone requiring help or advice is encouraged to make themselves known to on-board staff.

All on-board staff are encouraged to provide the highest levels of customer service and are encouraged to resolve appropriate issues ‘on the spot’. They are empowered to make arrangements for individual customers at times of severe disruption, in liaison with the Customer Service Support Managers located in our Control offices who will provide each station with your updated travel plan. They will make announcements and provide regular updates to let you know what is happening. In the event you need any additional assistance during your journey, just let one of our on-board team know. We can help you with information regarding onwards travel and arrange assistance to board the next train (onward journey care will be arranged too).

Contact us

We welcome your comments and will take these into consideration in reviewing and implementing this Policy. Comments on any aspect of our service, including information about facilities which are not of the expected standard are welcome in any common format (such as audio or textphone).

You can contact us via:

Telephone: 03447 369123

Fax: 0121 200 6005

Textphone: 0121 200 6420

E-mail: customer.relations@crosscountrytrains.co.uk

Website: crosscountrytrains.co.uk

Twitter: @crosscountryuk

We are open from 08.30 to 20.00 Monday to Friday and Saturday 09.00 to 16.00.

Normally the CrossCountry Customer Relations team will respond to customers in writing, and if requested to do so will reply in large print, by telephone, textphone, or in any common audio format.

Alternative formats

Copies of this document are made available free of charge from all staffed stations which CrossCountry serve. The policy can be obtained in alternative formats on request such as large print and any common audio format. We will supply this within seven working days.

Station accessibility information

While we do not operate any stations, we work with the relevant station operators to ensure they provide the best service possible to disabled customers. These operators also have their own Disabled People’s Protection Policy setting out their arrangements for assisting passengers at their stations.

The most up-to-date information on what is available at each station can be easily located at www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations.

The table below shows the station owner at each of the stations where we stop, along with contact details for their Customer relations departments.

On some occasions, to allow track improvement work to take place elsewhere, we serve the following stations

Back to Travel assistance