Train travel made easy - Sarah’s personal experience

A free Passenger Assistance service is available on overground trains throughout Great Britain. I have personally used the service for more than 40 journeys and thoroughly recommend it.

You can request various types of assistance including help getting on to and off the train, the use of a ramp, wheeling, carrying and lifting luggage, changing trains, navigating stations, finding a seat (especially useful on services where it is not possible to book a seat), requesting a priority seat, a companion seat, a wheelchair space, and the use of a station wheelchair or mini vehicle where available. Stamford is unmanned much of the time, so mention this in the Other Info section, and ask if the Guard can assist you instead of the station staff. Everyone is always happy to help.

It is best to book in advance, either via the easy-to-use Passenger Assistance app, or their website (passengerassistance.com), or by phone (National Rail Passenger Assistance: tel. 0800 022 3720)

Ideally, book at least 2 hours in advance, but any advance notice will help staff provide assistance. Alternatively, if you don't pre-book, you can ask when you arrive at a station but you will have to wait until a member of staff is available.

It is also possible to book through the Train Operator when you buy your ticket, and they will forward the request to the team at Passenger Assistance. But booking direct via the Passeger Assistance App or website is quicker, especially because the app remembers your last request, so you don't have to type everything in again. It also means you can cancel or amend your booking if, for example, your train is delayed, or you miss a connection, and you can rate your journey afterwards!

However you choose to book, you will receive a Booking Confirmation notification, which you can show to staff when you arrive at the station. Staff have the App on their work phones too and can see your booking in advance and be ready to assist you, often waiting on the platform for you to arrive. It's a brilliant service, and makes travel so much more manageable and less stressful.

The Passenger Assistance app is available, free of charge, from the App store or Google Play store. It works with smartphones using iOS 12 or later or Android 9 or later.