Making rail accessible
If you are disabled or have difficulty travelling, you can get advice about accessibility – both on our trains and at any of our stations – before you travel.
And when you come to one of our stations, we can offer you the help you need.
Download our Making Rail Accessible Guide: Helping older and disabled passengers
Download the Making Rail Accessible guide to policy and practices
How to book assisted travel
It’s best to contact us 24 hours before you travel if you want to book assistance. This gives us time to make the right arrangements. There are several ways to book:
Fill in our assistance booking form online
Email us on: myjourney@southernrailway.com
Call us on: 0800 138 1016 (your information may be recorded)
Textphone: 0800 138 1018
SMS Text: 07860 034 269*
Our assisted travel helpline is open every day from 7.00am to 10.00pm, except on Christmas Day.
We can tell you about your nearest station with step-free access and give information about ramps and lifts. And we can arrange help – both at stations and on trains – as well as providing train times and travel information.
* SMS text service available at following times Monday to Friday – 7am to 8pm, Saturday – 7am – 3:30pm, Sunday – 8am to 4:30pm for queries. Please use other options for bookings and more complex queries.
What to do when you arrive at the station
We can offer the best assistance if you get to the station 20 minutes before the train is due. When you arrive let a member of staff know you’ve booked assistance.
We can help you:
- buy a ticket and anything else you may want for your journey
- show you where to go – you’ll need to get to the platform 5 minutes before your train leaves
- get around the station, providing ramps or another kind transport if you can’t use steps
- board the train and find a seat
- change trains during your journey
We can also carry light luggage and let other stations know you are coming so that you are looked after when you arrive.
We recommend that all passengers arrive in good time at the station - as a general rule of thumb, if possible try to arrive at staffed stations 20 minutes before your train is due to depart so we can arrange the most suitable assistance based on your needs.