Thursday 2 Apr 2026
Liverpool Lime Street’s Assisted Travel Lounge opens to passengers
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
Passengers who need help to get on and off trains at Liverpool Lime Street station will now have access to a dedicated waiting area, as well as a number of new features to improve their journeys.
This week the new Assisted Travel Lounge fully opened to passengers travelling into and out of Liverpool’s biggest train station.
Network Rail has invested £400,000 into the lounge, which is located on the station concourse.
The space has been transformed into a quiet and welcoming waiting area for passengers with additional mobility and sensory needs, with a dedicated team on hand to help.
The lounge will include:
- Accessible seating with integrated space for wheelchairs
- An accredited Changing Places toilet facility*
- A sensory nook for people who find stations overwhelming
- A staffed welcome desk
The lounge will be open between 7am-8pm each day.
The project was funded in part by Muscular Dystrophy UK. The charity provided a contribution of £65,000 towards the delivery of the Changing Places facility, funded through a grant awarded as part of the Government’s Transport Strategy.
Rachel Rahbarzare, station manager at Liverpool Lime Street, said: “Lime Street station is a gateway for many travellers who want to visit the incredible city of Liverpool.
“Sometimes travelling on trains can be a daunting experience for people, so the addition of our new Assisted Travel Lounge is very welcome. It will provide a calm, relaxing waiting area outside of the hustle and bustle of the station concourse and will ensure people with complex physical needs can travel with dignity, comfort, and independence.”
Andy Fletcher, chief executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “We’re delighted that a Changing Places toilet is now available at Liverpool Lime Street station. This will be a game-changer for passengers living with neuromuscular conditions and those living with other disabilities, for their carers, and for families in need of such facility.
“An estimated 250,000 people across the UK are in need of a Changing Places toilet. The new facility will allow people to have an accessible journey that otherwise may have been excluded. This is one of several new Changing Place toilets across the rail network and we hope this number will rise to make travelling easier across the whole network.”
Jamie Ross, director of transport at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “Providing accessible and comfortable facilities is an essential part of making our transport network work for everyone.
“We’re pleased to have been able to support Network Rail in opening this new Assisted Travel Lounge, which will offer passengers a calmer, more welcoming space as they travel through Lime Street Station and across our city region and beyond.”
For more information on how to book assisted travel visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/planning-a-trip/assisted-travel/
Notes to Editors
* What is a Changing Places toilet facility?
Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of all disabled people.
A Changing Places toilet facility has:
- a height-adjustable adult-sized changing bench
- a ceiling mounted hoist
- a centrally placed toilet with space either side
- non-slip floor
- a height-adjustable washbasin
- an emergency alarm
How to book Passenger Assist
To book Passenger Assist for your next journey you can contact the train company you are starting your journey with, or check out the National Rail Enquiries assisted travel pages.
The National Rail Enquiries website has information on how to book assistance in a variety of ways, including the Passenger Assistance Smartphone App. It also has detailed information on the accessibility of all stations. You can also call or text National Rail Enquiries to arrange assistance
- call 0800 0223720
- text 60083
- textphone or minicom users can dial 0845 60 50 600.
Last minute requests (turn up and go)
All rail companies want passengers to feel confident when travelling by train and understand the importance of supporting flexible travel plans.
People needing additional help to board their train can ‘turn up and go’ without booking assistance in advance, but if they require assistance at short notice the advice is for them to please make themselves known to a member of staff or use a Help Point when they arrive at the station.
Where a station is staffed, they will always help you if they can. However, people should be aware that, on occasion, it could take a little longer as staff may be assisting other customers, dispatching a train, or looking after safety on the platform.
If staff are not able to help the person making the last minute request straight away, they will explain clearly why not and do their best to assist as soon as they can.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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