Many of our stations are staffed and all our trains have conductors. They are there to help so please don't hesitate to ask.
This page will cover the following topics:
Buying a ticket
Tickets can be bought online, on the Northern app or at our stations.
At stations, tickets can be bought at the ticket offices or via our ticket vending machines which have a modern and intuitive design and has a number of features which means they are accessible for disabled customers too.
Book Assistance
Our Passenger Assistance team are on hand to help plan your journey, book assistance or answer any queries you may have.
Visit our help site for more information.
Railcards
There are a variety of railcards available, please check out if you qualify for one of them.
If your disability makes train travel difficult, you may qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard. With no time restrictions, you and a friend can travel across the country with ⅓ off all rail fares. Costing just £20 a year, you can enjoy trips out as often as you wish!
There are also other railcards that Offer up to ⅓ off most rail fares and are an excellent way to explore – including the senior rail card.
If you are between the ages of 5 and 15 and receive age related discount and therefore would not personally require the discount the Disabled Persons Rail Card would offer but have a disability that is covered by the railcard, please consider if you have a carer accompanying you it might still be beneficial to apply for the card as they may receive the discount off their ticket. More details on disabled railcards are available.
If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult, you may qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard. Check online to see if you’re eligible.
A Disabled Persons Railcard gives you 1/3 off standard Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance tickets, with no time restrictions and no minimum fare. If you're travelling with another adult, they will also receive 1/3 off their rail fare!
You can use your Disabled Persons Railcard to travel anywhere in Great Britain on the National Rail network.
The quickest and easiest way to apply is online. Make sure you have a scan or photo of your evidence of eligibility that you can upload with your application and your card payment details.
Facilities
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.
Lifts and step- free access
We have a Step Free Access Map to aid independent travel and journey planning.
Mobility scooters & wheelchairs
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.
Toilets
Please see our accessible toilets map for available facilities across the Northern network.
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 .
Priority passes
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.
There are priority seats in most of our carriages.
The card has dual branding to make it easily recognisable as a disability aid and has space for you to personalise it on the back with any specific requirements you may want to make our staff aware of when travelling with us.
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.
Sunflower lanyard
We are proud to recognise the Sunflower lanyard. The lanyard allows the wearer to discreetly indicate that they may have a non-visible disability that may mean they need a little extra support when travelling.
Around one in ten of the UK population have a non-visible condition and surveys suggest that people with disabilities avoid using rail travel due to difficulties they have faced on their previous experiences
If you require more information on the scheme, please contact our Customer Experience Centre on 0800 200 6060 and they will be happy to help.
Timetables and planned disruption
Timetables can be found on our dedicated pages.
Details of engineering works, disruptions and planned improvement across the Northern network are here – Engineering and Disruptions.
What to do if your service is disrupted
Northern is dedicated to providing the best service possible for their passengers, and although the majority of our trains run on time, unfortunately, delays and cancellations do occasionally happen.
If you have booked passenger assistance, please make a member of staff aware that your train has been cancelled and they can help with alternative arrangements.
Alternatively, our dedicated passenger assistance team can help 0800 138 5560 (Text Relay 18001 0800 138 5560).
There is nothing stopping you from catching a different Northern train if your service is cancelled. Just check our timetable to find an alternative.
If the train you planned to catch is cancelled, you are entitled to claim a full refund on your ticket. A delay allows you to claim compensation, although the amount you can claim depends on the length of the delay.
Northern have designed Delay Repay specifically for a train not running on time. It works by offering passengers compensation if they arrive at their station 15 minutes or more after they were meant to because a Northern train was delayed or cancelled.
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 ...
Visit our hub for more informationNorthern App
Streamline your journey and get tickets straight to your phone. Making your journey contact-free.
Northern App
Streamline your journey and get tickets straight to your phone. Making your journey contact-free.