Accessibility At Stations

Sections Within This Page

Station facilities
Accessibility at our Stations
Staff & Support at Stations
Priority Passes and Sunflower Lanyards (usage)

Facilities

Toilets
Car parks

To view all facilities at any of our stations please go to our dedicated station pages.

You can also explore many of our stations virtually thanks to our 3D interactive maps which are on each page.

Help points are available at unstaffed stations. These give a direct link into our control centre. Information on where help points are located for each station is available on our dedicated station pages, information can be found in the staff and customer service section.

Toilets

Please see our accessible toilets map for available facilities across the Northern network.

Accessible toilet map

Car parks

Parking is FREE for blue badge holders using designated disabled bays. When using the disabled bays make sure that your blue badge is clearly visible and not obstructed.

For further details on car parking at individual stations, please visit our dedicated station pages .

Accessibility at our Stations

Step-free access & lifts
Wheelchairs
Mobility scooters

Step-free access & lifts

We have a Step Free Access Map to aid independent travel and journey planning.

Wheelchairs

Wheelchairs can be used on all Northern trains.

All toilets on our trains are wheelchair accessible.

Some stations have station wheelchairs available for use, our passenger assistance team can advise, should you wish to book one in advance. They can be contacted at 0800 138 5560 (Text Relay 18001 0800 138 5560).

Mobility scooters

Trains serving our customers across the north are more accessible than ever before. We are now able to offer our customers who use mobility scooters access at more than 130 stations and 28 routes across our network which are also accessible. For more information, please see our Mobility Scooter webpage.

We welcome applications for a scooter “Rail Ready” permit from users of both 3 and 4-wheel vehicles. All we ask is that they meet the following criteria:

The scooter must be a class 2 vehicle with a maximum speed of 4mph
Maximum length of 120cm and width of 70cm (standard wheelchair footprint)
Turning radius of no larger than 150cm
Maximum weight including rider is no more than 300kg (47 stone)

To apply for a scooter “Rail Ready” permit, click the button below, or complete the application and post to:

Assisted Travel Team - Scooter Permit Application
Customer Experience Centre
Freepost NORTHERN

Staff & support at stations

How staff can help on arrival
Staffing and Accessibility improvements

How can staff help

Not booked assistance but require it? That's no problem! Please speak to a member of station staff or, at unstaffed stations, approach the conductor who will be happy to assist you when the train arrives.
Our Assistance Travel Support Team are on hand to discuss and plan your journey with you. Where possible we recommend booking assistance in advance by calling us on 0800 138 5560 (Text Relay 18001 0800 138 5560) or on WhatsApp on 07779 914800.
Our team are available 24 hours, 7 days a week (excluding Christmas Day). We recommend booking assistance two hours in advance for same day travel. This dedicated team are trained to help with assistance requests, journey planning, emergencies, feedback and general enquiries.

Staffing and accessibility improvements at our stations

From 31 March 2025, Northern introduced a new staffing solution at Ulverston Station to improve accessibility and customer support.

There is now a Northern team member available from the first train of the day until the last, every day. This means customers can rely on staff being present throughout the station’s operating hours. If you need help crossing the tracks using the barrow crossing, a member of staff will always be on hand to assist. You’ll find our team at the Ulverston ticket office, ready to support all customers, including those with accessibility needs. You can also book Passenger Assistance in advance at northernrailway.co.uk/passenger-assistor by calling 0800 138 5560.

Northern is committed to making rail travel more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

From 1 September 2025, Northern introduced a new staffing solution at Thorne North Station to improve accessibility and customer support.

There is now a Northern team member available from the first train of the day until the last, every day. This means customers can rely on staff being present throughout the station’s operating hours.
If you need help crossing the tracks using the barrow crossing, a member of staff will always be on hand to assist. You’ll find our team at the Thorne North ticket office, ready to support all customers, including those with accessibility needs.
You can also book Passenger Assistance in advance at northernrailway.co.uk/passenger-assistor by calling 0800 138 5560.

Northern is committed to making rail travel more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

From 27 July 2025, Northern introduced a new staffing solution at Hexham Station to improve accessibility and customer support.

There is now a Northern team member available from the first train of the day until the last, every day. This means customers can rely on staff being present throughout the station’s operating hours.
If you need help crossing the tracks using the barrow crossing, a member of staff will always be on hand to assist. You’ll find our team at the Hexham ticket office, ready to support all customers, including those with accessibility needs.
You can also book Passenger Assistance in advance at northernrailway.co.uk/passenger-assistor by calling 0800 138 5560.

Northern is committed to making rail travel more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Priority Passes

How to use them at stations

Sunflower lanyard: We are proud to recognise the Sunflower Lanyard. f you require more information on the scheme, please contact our Customer Experience Centre on 0800 200 6060 and they will be happy to help.
Priority pass: Northern has created a priority seating card in partnership with Hidden Disabilities, the organization behind the Sunflower Lanyard scheme for customers who have visible and invisible disabilities to enable them to feel confident and empowered when asking other customers who are sitting in the priority seats on our trains to offer them a seat. The card has dual branding to make it easily recognisable.
The cards are available free of charge through the Hidden Disability website by using a voucher code that is available from our customer experience team. Please email the team stating your full name and address and you will be sent a code for a free card. We can provide one code per person.

A wheelchair user and a person wearing a sunflower lanyard next to the word "A better way to go for everybody". On a yellow background.

Accessibility Hub

Join us on the journey to a more accessible North.We believe train travel should be easier for everyone. That’s why we’re making some big improvements, working hard to make our stations, trains and communities more accessible based on your valuable feedback.Look ...

Visit our hub for more information