Devon rail

County advice overview

Devon has frequent rail services to London and Birmingham as well as many local branch lines which provide a scenic way of exploring the county’s seaside and country views. 

You can check access information at individual stations on the National Rail website.

You can call or text National Rail Enquiries to arrange passenger assistance.

• call 0800 0223720
• text 60083
• textphone or minicom users can dial 0845 60 50 600.

You can also book assistance by using the Passenger Assistance app (by Transreport).

Assistance dogs are welcome on all trains.

Key tips

Always allow yourself plenty of time to plan your journey. It may be worth considering:

• If you will need help to access the train and will you be travelling with mobility equipment. Consider whether it is easier to take equipment with you or hire it at your destination, from an outlet such as ShopMobility.
• Booking passenger assistance in advance. Before you contact the train operator to arrange this, consider all aspects of your journey so all the information can be obtained in one call. For example, can assistance be arranged for a connecting train service? 
• When booking passenger assistance, you should be able to provide the size of a wheelchair or mobility scooter, including the total weight with or without the user.
• What local transport do you need once you arrive at your destination? Will you need to pre-book an accessible taxi?
• Will you be making this journey more than once a year? If so, it may be worth researching concessionary travel schemes.
• All train companies have apps to download to a mobile phone. You can buy tickets, timetables and receive live train information so you are aware of delays and disruptions.
• Booking ahead: Train operators release their cheapest fares 12 weeks ahead of travel. If you book ahead, you can also choose options such as table seats, power sockets and secure a seat. 

Remember that your local Hubs Mobility Advice Service can signpost you to the correct travel operator and mobility organisations.

Operators

Great Western Railway

www.gwr.com
Book Passenger Assistance: Call 0800 197 1329

South Western Railway

www.southwesternrailway.com
Book Passenger Assistance: Call 0800 5282 100 

CrossCountry 

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk
Book Passenger Assistance: Call 0800 0309230

Help with cost

The Disabled Person’s Railcard

The Disabled Person’s Railcard costs £20 for a year and £54 for three years. It will entitle you to a saving of 1/3 off rail journeys.

You are eligible for the Disabled Person’s Railcard if you:

• receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
• receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at either:

the higher or lower rate for the mobility component, or the higher or middle rate for the care component

• have a visual impairment
• have a hearing impairment
• have epilepsy
• receive Attendance Allowance or Severe Disablement Allowance
• receive War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement
• receive War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability
• buy or lease a vehicle through the Motability scheme

Senior Railcard

A Senior Railcard is available to people over 60 and costs £30 for a year or £70 for three years. It gives a discount of 1/3 off rail journeys. 

Freedom of Devon and Cornwall ticket

A Freedom of Devon and Cornwall ticket provides unlimited off-peak rail travel throughout Devon and Cornwall on South Western Railway, GWR and CrossCountry services.

Devon Day Ranger

The Ranger allows you to explore all routes in Devon for the day. A Devon & Cornwall Railcard or a National Railcard can be used to save a third on the Devon Day Ranger. 

Ride Cornwall

The Ride Cornwall ticket provides one day’s unlimited travel on all off-peak rail and most bus services between Plymouth and Cornwall, and within Cornwall.  It is valid on Great Western Railway trains, CrossCountry trains and bus routes operated by First, CityBus and Go Cornwall. 

PlusBus

When purchasing your rail tickets, you can add PlusBus tickets which allow you to use any buses at your destination without any peak restrictions.

Special assistance

Passenger Assist is a national system used by all train companies, which allows them to arrange the necessary assistance to help you at the station and on the train. 

Assistance includes: offering a helping hand to navigate the station; support when boarding the train; meeting you from your train and taking you to your next train or the exit; arranging a ramp on or off your train;assistance relating to a non-visible impairment; carrying your bag(s) – up to three items of luggage. 

How it works

If you have a disability, non-visible disability, or are elderly, you can pre-book journey assistance up to 2 hours before your journey is due to start, any time of the day.

You can also ‘turn up and go’ without booking assistance in advance. If you require assistance at short notice, make yourself known to a member of staff or use a Help Point when you arrive at the station.

You can request assistance either via the train company you are travelling with or nationally through National Rail.

Book Passenger Assist via National Rail

Contact: 0800 030 9224 
Lines open 24 hours a day (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Further booking details are available on the National Rail website.

Book Passenger Assist via individual train companies

Great Western Railway

Passenger Assist
Contact: 0800 197 1329

South Western Railway

Assisted Travel
Contact: 0800 5282 100

CrossCountry

Passenger Assistance
Contact: 0800 0309 230

Travelling with mobility equipment

Most trains can accommodate equipment up to 700mm wide and 1200mm long. The ramps used to access a train have a weight limit of 230kg to 300kg.

If you need to travel in your wheelchair, it is advisable to book the space in advance as there are only a limited number of spaces available on each train.

If you are travelling with a mobility scooter, you should contact the train company in advance. As scooters come in a variety of sizes and weight, there are a few checks which the train operator will need to carry out. It is important that your scooter has an anti-tip device for use on the ramps.  

Following these checks, and providing your mobility scooter is suitable, the train operator will issue a travel permit.  Some operators may require you to fold down a scooter and stow it in the luggage area.

Each train company has produced a practical guide for older and disabled passengers, which can be viewed via the links below:

• Great Western Railway 
• CrossCountry 
• South Western Railway

Routes and timetable links

Online journey planners can help you plan train travel locally in Devon and further afield:

• Great Western Railway 
• CrossCountry
• South Western Railway

You can also find timetables and plan your route on the National Rail website.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares

Destination accessibility

If you would like to know about step-free access to platforms, accessible toilets, parking or other stations facilities, visit the National Rail website. Simply type in the name of your station in the search box for information.