Friday, 30th July 2010, 12:15
Your journey made easy
First Capital Connect is committed to offering quality assistance to customers with reduced mobility or other requirements in planning and making their train journey. We operate a dedicated telephone and textphone where you can get information, book tickets and make arrangements for staff assistance.
Our trained staff are able to assist customers with their journey requirements. We recommend that arrangements are made in advance whenever possible to ensure that staff and any necessary equipment are available. If you telephone to make arrangements at least 24 hours in advance, we can help you to find your nearest accessible train station, plan the easiest route to your destination, and book your train tickets. If you wish to have your tickets posted to you we need three working days notice in order to ensure they arrive with you on time. Several of our stations have a 'fast ticket' machine, which allows you to print your tickets at the station. Please ask our operators for more information on this facility.
Our booking service ensures that we are aware of your requirements so that we can offer you the highest possible levels of service. We are able to inform staff at the beginning and the end of your journey and at interchange stations if you need to change trains. This service is available for any journey in Great Britain, whether you are finishing you journey at a First Capital Connect station, or one operated by a different train company.
The First Capital Connect assistance helpline is available on the following numbers:
Telephone: 0800 058 2844
Textphone: 0800 975 1052
The helpline is open seven days a week, from 0700 to 2200, except on Christmas Day.
Download our Accessibility leaflet. Find out more about accessibility on our trains.
Disabled Person's Protection Policy
We have also developed a Disabled People's Protection Policy (DPPP) for you to view and/or download.
Download the Disabled Peoples Protection Policy (2MB)
Our DPPP sets out the procedures and policies we have in place to make things as easy as possible for our disabled customers.
Disabled Persons Railcard
If you are disabled you may qualify for a Disabled Persons Railcard. More information is available at www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk.
To learn more about the discounts available, download the Rail Travel for Disabled Passengers leaflet (PDF).
Contact our Accessibility and Inclusion Manager
First Capital Connect is committed to improving the service that we provide for all of our passengers. We employ a dedicated Accessibility and Inclusion Manager, Lee Millard, to ensure that disability issues are considered in every decision we make. Lee works closely with other internal departments within the company, as well as with external organisations such as the Disabled Persons transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
If you a regular traveller on our services and you have a disability, or if you represent an organisation for disabled people, we would like to hear from you. Equally, should you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve our service, please get in touch using the following link.
'Stations Made Easy' service
This service on the National Rail web site allows customers to figure out how to get around any station if they have mobility issues (be that heavy luggage or a wheelchair). Customers can ask for a route plan through a station taking account of their mobility limitations; the service then generates the route options and illustrates this with pictures of each stage of the route (ticket machines, ramps, etc). There are some stations where audits have not been able to be completed (e.g. due to ongoing station works) - these will be done as soon as is feasible.
First Capital Connect on-train facilities
Find out what facilities are available on the types of trains First Capital Connect operates.
