Policies | Caledonian Sleeper |

We are committed to participating in Passenger Assistance, the nationwide reservation system for booking assistance for train travel.

Our Guest Service Centre responds to requests for Passenger Assistance made through email, phone calls and the Passenger Assistance App, and will answer any questions relating to it.  Our Guest Ambassadors are trained and experienced colleagues who understand our services, routes and requirements of our guests. Each day, our Guest Service Centre reviews all Passenger Assistance reservations for the Caledonian Sleeper made through Passenger Assistance to ensure they have been made correctly and that appropriate assistance is in place onboard and at the stations we serve.

If we are not able to offer passenger assistance due to the times or location of our service, our Guest Ambassadors will work with our guests to arrange a suitable alternative. We commit to providing sufficient resources to maintain and improve the standards of Passenger Assistance.

All stations we stop at are managed by different train operators who are responsible for staffing – we do not manage any stations. All bookings are made through Passenger Assistance which station operators use to check what assistance is needed at their stations each day. Each station operator has different policies on the assistance they provide and at what times.

The times that each station is staffed are listed on the relevant station page of the National Rail Enquiries website and on the Accessible Travel page on our website at Accessible Travel | Caledonian Sleeper. Our Guest Service Centre can also provide further information, including arranging meeting points for your assistance.  Further information can also be found at Assisted travel - Network Rail.

When you book assistance through our Guest Service Centre our team will review the accessibility of the stations you plan to use and check that it meets your requirements. If you would prefer, we can provide this information by post on request.

When assistance has been booked in advance, we are committed to helping you off the train as soon as possible on arrival at your destination, and within a maximum of five minutes where reasonably practicable. If assistance is being provided by station staff, our onboard hosts will ensure this is carried out as planned or will help you off the train if there is a problem. Our onboard hosts will provide assistance to you when you board the train.

You do not need to book assistance but given the unique nature of our services, we encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your accessibility requirements. You can book assistance for Caledonian Sleeper services two hours before the train is due to leave its originating station.

We welcome assistance animals on our trains and ask they are visibly attired to show this. Please let an onboard host know how we can make your dog comfortable, for example by providing water. If you are travelling with us in seated accommodation, please contact our Guest Service Centre in advance to reserve the seat next to you to enable your dog to sit safely at your feet. There is no additional cost for this booking.

There is a dedicated wheelchair space in our seated coach. Priority for the wheelchair space is given to guests who have reserved the space in advance.

If you have not booked assistance and the station is not staffed on arrival, our onboard hosts will help you on and off the train. You will need to be on the platform when your train arrives and get the attention of an onboard host who will always step onto the platform and look for guests waiting to board at each station that our service calls at.

If the station is staffed when you arrive to board one of our services, they will help you within the station. If you have not booked assistance in advance, the station staff will help you if they can. We cannot control the delivery of this but we do work with these operators to find ways to improve our overall guest experience. We have an agreement with station operators, so if for example your destination station is staffed, we will phone them directly so they can be ready to give you additional support when you arrive.

If your arrival station unstaffed, our onboard hosts will provide assistance to the station entrance to enable onward transport.

The best place to find information on any temporary limits on accessibility is the station page of the National Rail Enquiries website – you can access this at www.nationalrail.co.uk/destinations or we can check for you. In all cases, we will check station accessibility if you book assistance with us through our Guest Service Centre, as well as verifying all bookings made through the Passenger Assistance App.

There are ramps at all of the step-free staffed stations that we serve. We also have portable ramps on all our trains which our onboard hosts will use if they are helping you on or off the train. A ramp will always be available on dedicated coaches whether or not you have booked assistance in advance.

If you are travelling with luggage, we are happy to help you. However, we only know you need help if you have booked the service through Passenger Assistance. If you are not able to book, we will offer help whenever we can but cannot guarantee it. There is no charge for helping with your luggage.

Please consider the weight, size, and quantity of your luggage as there is limited space available on board. Items of luggage must also be a safe for our staff to lift. If possible, please only have:

• One item of hand luggage (that you must be able to hold on your lap if necessary).
• Up to two items of luggage no bigger than 30cm x 70cm x 90cm.

Further guidance regarding travelling with luggage is set out by National Rail and can be found at Train Travel with Luggage | National Rail.

Subject to availability and at the discretion of the Train Manager, it may be possible to upgrade you to a classic room on the night of travel at no extra costs if you are travelling in our seated coach with an assistance animal. Further information can be found in our Travelling with Animals Policy online at Travelling with Pets | Caledonian Sleeper.

2.3.1.  Accessible Travel Policy Documentation

Our leaflet ‘Making Rail Accessible’ is available:

• In print at our main departure stations that our services leave from (in standard and large font sizes).
• On our website as a PDF (our website features ReciteMe, a text-to-speech software, which also allows anyone to adjust the colour scheme of the website, text, font style, size, colour and spacing).

This policy document is available:

• On our website.
• In print at all our main departure stations that our services leave from
• By post upon request. This is free of charge and we will send it within seven working days.
• Braille and audio versions can also be made available for guests unable to access print or online PDF versions.

Any posters or signage at stations relating to our services are at a height which means they can be easily read by wheelchair users.

2.3.2.   Information Relating Stations and Trains

Although we do not operate any stations, we are committed to regularly seeking the latest information about the accessibility features of stations we call at, including the availability and accessibility levels of toilets, waiting areas, staffing hours and help points. We continually work with the station operators to source all the information we need about their stations to ensure it is always accurate. We are committed to verifying the accuracy of the information contained in the guide as part of the annual review of our Accessible Travel Policy. This information is available:

• Via our Guest Service Centre.
• On our website.
• By post on request, posted within seven working days free of charge.

Additionally, the National Rail Accessibility Map is used by our Guest Service Centre and available to the public. Details of all UK stations can also be found at Find a Station | National Rail.

2.3.3.    Passenger Journey Information 

Because the Caledonian Sleeper service runs during the night, we do not make onboard announcements except in an emergency. If you wish to receive audio or visual updates during the journey (for example to let you know that you are approaching your stop), you can request this from our onboard hosts when you board and they will speak to you at the appropriate time, giving you sufficient time to leave the train.

If your journey is going to be disrupted (for example due to planned engineering works) our Guest Service Centre will contact, you via the preferred method chosen when you booked assistance. If you would find this useful, please contact our Guest Service Centre to ensure we have your correct contact details. We will explain the expected impact of the disruption and discuss the options for alternative arrangements.

If you are staying in a room, you can request a wake-up call or be notified of delays if you wish. Staff will visit your room personally if the in-room phone is inaccessible. The same applies to guests in our seated coach. Our seated coaches have screens which give information about stopping times.

We strive to provide you with a comfortable and relaxing journey. If you experience a problem onboard our trains, please tell a member of staff who will try to find a solution to minimise any inconvenience. If there are any problems with our onboard accessibility features, such a serious fault with an accessible room you have booked, we will contact you via your preferred method of communication.

2.3.4.    Information Points, Help Points and Contact Centres 

You can get all the information you need to plan and prepare for your journey with us from our Guest Service Centre and by visiting our website. In stations, you will see a Caledonian Sleeper poster that will link by QR code to our website and provide our telephone number. There are also Help Points in stations which can be used to gain information (further information can be found below).

If you book assistance, we will let you know where the meeting point is. Larger stations usually have a designated point (e.g., a booking office or mobility assistance lounge) but if there are no station staff on duty, we will usually agree to meet you on the platform as the train arrives. The meeting point will be confirmed in your Passenger Assistance booking confirmation.

If there are no staff at a station we stop at, the ticket gates will be left open. At unstaffed stations, accessible Help Points are usually available which connect our guests to the station operator’s customer service team who will provide any information you require for your journey on behalf of Caledonian Sleeper.

All of our telephone services, for example the Guest Service Centre, include a text relay service.  We currently use Next Generation Text.

2.3.5.    Websites 

We have worked with Shaw Trust to improve the accessibility of our website. The website has been tested by users who are disabled and use assistive technologies such as JAWS, NVDA screen readers, Dragon voice recognition software and Zoom Text magnification.  We have changed our website to WCAG Level AA standards.

We have a dedicated page on our website called ‘Accessible Travel’ which can be found at Accessible Travel | Caledonian Sleeper. This page includes the following, in HTML format:

• A clear and simple summary of Passenger Assistance.
• The contact details to book Passenger Assistance and purchase a ticket.
• Information on discounts such as railcards.
• A list of our onboard facilities particularly features within accessible rooms.
• A link to download our Accessible Travel Policy and details of how to get this in alternative formats.
• Information on how to make a complaint and seek redress if your booked assistance was not provided.
• Recite-Me toolbar.

Everyone requires a seat or room reservation to travel on the Caledonian Sleeper, in addition to your ticket. Tickets bought directly with us will always be inclusive of both. At the same time, we can also address your access requirements and book assistance if needed. When you book tickets with us, we will send you an e-ticket and confirmation by email. You can either show this to staff on your phone or print them out before you travel. If you cannot do this, we can post your ticket to you, free of charge.

You can also use a valid national rail ticket provided you also have a reservation for the Caledonian Sleeper. You can buy national rail tickets from ticket machines at stations, which can apply discounts for Disabled Persons Railcard holders. These tickets must be valid between stations served by Caledonian Sleeper for all of your journey. If you choose to do this, you also need to make a reservation to travel on the Caledonian Sleeper service through our Guest Service Centre. This is at no extra cost to the national rail ticket already purchased if travelling in our seated coach. To travel in a room using your national rail tickets, you must purchase a room supplement, on our website or by contacting our Guest Service Centre.

If you are a disabled guest and unable to purchase a ticket before your journey, you can buy one onboard with any eligible discounts without penalty. However, there is limited availability for our wheelchair spaces and accessible rooms, so we recommend booking in advance.

Reservations for wheelchair spaces and accessible rooms can be made by contacting our Guest Service Centre or directly on our website for guests who require them.

We want to welcome as many disabled and older guests as possible. However, we know that there are additional considerations for safety and comfort when travelling on an overnight service. We therefore take care to think through the consequences of any interruption in a disabled or older person’s ability to access the service in the way that was expected.

As part of the journey planning and assistance booking process our Guest Service Centre, will talk through:

• Accessibility of the stations you plan to use.
• Accessibility of our trains including rooms, toilets, and shower facilities.
• Staffing levels at the stations you plan to use.

When booking your journey, it might become apparent that we need to arrange alternative accessible transport for you because you wish to use a station that is inaccessible to you (for example, because of stairs). We will arrange for alternative accessible transport at no extra cost to take you between the inaccessible station and the nearest or most convenient one that is accessible to you.

When we organise rail replacement services because of planned or unplanned disruption, we use suppliers with vehicles that meet your requirements. We will always ensure there is an option which meets your requirements. For this reason, we will discuss your requirements before booking rail replacement, giving you the added choice to re-book your travel with us or explore other travel options based on your requirements. 

We are aware that travelling long distances by road or staying in a hotel might be difficult some of our guests. For this reason, we encourage you to contact our Guest Service Centre to discuss your requirements in advance where rail replacement is required. We aim to be open and transparent, enabling you to make informed decisions. 

Like most trains across the UK, we can carry wheelchairs, scooters and rollators which are no larger than 70cm x 120xm and a combined weight of guest and wheelchair/scooter of 300kg. Guests are asked to check the size and weight before travelling to avoid disappointment.  Scooter users can stay in the scooter if they wish but may prefer to transfer to a seat.

Where alternative transport is required (as outlined in Section 2.5 above), if you are a scooter user we will discuss with you what options are available. Taxis are usually unable to carry scooters, so we will ask you if your scooter can be folded and whether your scooter can be safely secured in the vehicle. If neither of these options are possible, we will work with you to look at alternatives such as supporting you to travel home (securing your scooter safely overnight) and arranging transport for you to collect your scooter the next day or as soon as possible.

We understand that disruption to facilities and services can have a significant impact on accessibility and on the confidence those with accessibility requirements have in rail travel. When disruption occurs, we do everything we can to ensure that, wherever possible, you are able to continue your journey. 

In cases of planned disruption, we do everything we can to find and use accessible rail replacement vehicles. Given the rural locations of our services and unsocial hours of operation, sometimes we depend on accessible taxis to meet the requirements of our guests. 

We do not manage any stations along our route, so we are unable to escort guests to connecting trains. If our train is moved to a different platform at short notice and you are due to be met by staff at that station, we will make sure you are helped off the train in time and wait with you until the staff member arrives.  

Our onboard hosts and staff who check and maintain our trains report any serious faults in our accessibility features. In the absence of a short-term solution, we will contact any disabled or older guests before they travel to explain and discuss options. We will also inform the Guest Service Centre. 

Where rail replacement services are not accessible for you, we will organise alternative accessible transport suitable for your requirements (see Section 2.5 above). 

Where you have booked assistance for a journey no longer meets your requirements as a result of disruption, our Guest Service Centre will contact you by your preferred method. They will tell you about the anticipated disruption and discuss what alternative arrangements might need to be put in place.  This will be provided at no additional charge.

If you are already travelling with us when unplanned disruption occurs, our onboard hosts will discuss this with you and arrange how to get to you to your destination. If you have not yet boarded the train and are waiting at an unstaffed station, please contact us for more information via Live Chat on our web site. Additionally, guests can use the station Help Points to contact a member of rail staff who will be able to answer any queries relating to your journey as outlined in Section 2.3.4. of this document.

We understand that you may need additional assistance in an emergency. All our onboard staff are trained in these procedures, including evacuating the train. In most cases, it is safer to stay on the train if there is an incident. However, our onboard hosts will help all guests off the train (including those with mobility issues) if there is risk of danger to life. We will then also organise onward travel for you and accommodation if appropriate.  

2.8.1.    Accessible Shower facilities 

Onboard our trains, there are only en-suite shower facilities in Club En-suite rooms. There are no showers facilities provided for guests in our seated coach or accessible rooms. 

Whilst there are no accessible shower facilities onboard our trains, guests staying in accessible rooms can use the accessible shower facilities at London Euston, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness free of charge. These are gender-neutral facilities. Our Guest Service Centre can provide further information.

2.8.2.   Left Luggage

There are staffed left luggage facilities with step-free access at the following stations. 

If you experience a problem, please let our onboard hosts know so we can try to resolve the issue immediately.

If assistance was booked in advance on one of our train services, and confirmed but was not provided, please let us know and we will investigate this thoroughly. When you contact us with any complaint (by phone, post, or email) we aim to resolve this fully in 10 working days. If there is a reason we cannot do this, we will keep you updated until we can respond. Further information can be found in our Complaints Handling Policy.

After we have investigated the matter, we will explain to you why assistance was not provided and what steps will be taken to ensure it does not happen again. We may also offer compensation. Alternatively, or additionally, you may want reassuring that our staff training has been updated to prevent an issue from occurring again. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

If you booked assistance with us for a journey to travel with more than one train operator, you only need to make one claim. We will coordinate the response for you unless the bulk of the failed assistance was provided by another operator, in which case they may respond to you directly. If we make arrangements for the claim to be passed to another operator, we will ask your permission first.

We work to an agreed set of policy objectives to ensure our operation is contributing to the delivery of overall Scottish Government policy.  This includes in relation to accessible travel where our objective is to provide high quality services for all passengers and provide additional support for those passengers who may require assistance to access our services.

Our business strategy for achieving this is to ensure accessibility, equality and inclusion are embedded throughout our business, utilising tools and initiatives such as Equality Impact Assessments, our Annual Recurring Training programme and through both our internal Equality Forum and external Guest Advisory Accessible Panel.

We actively seek feedback from our guests and our Guest Advisory Accessible Panel as part of our planning processes. We understand that the unique nature of our service makes it a convenient and appealing option for guests with additional accessibility requirements; as such we strive to ensure that our service is accessible to all and actively seek to improve our facilities.

We consider accessibility in everything we do and recognise this as part of continuous improvement. Our Guest Experience Director ensures that accessibility is a central part of our business plans and of the planning stage of all relevant major projects, as well as holding overall accountability for our Accessible Travel Policy. This involves leading a culture of valuing inclusion in all areas of the business. We consciously lead accessibility from the Guest Experience division of the business because we understand that standards must go beyond the minimum and consider the whole experience of a disabled guest.

In terms of implementing our policy, the following colleagues report to the Guest Experience Director:

• Head of Guest Experience Service Delivery.
• Guest Service Centre Manager.
• Head of Operations.

Further to this, our Environment, Sustainability and Social Governance Manager will also be responsible for reviewing this Accessible Travel Policy and providing comment where necessary, to ensure that it aligns with our wider strategy and Environmental Management Plan. Equality for all is embedded within the business, both for our guests and colleagues and this Accessible Travel Policy will support in the delivery of this objective.

All our employees receive disability awareness training which includes ensuring they understand their role in fulfilling this policy. Our onboard hosts, who provide assistance and information to our older and disabled guests every day, are actively encouraged to suggest improvements.

These are recorded and reviewed by our Guest Experience Director, who champions accessibility within our business and also ensures all senior leaders are fully aware of the requirements of their own teams in fulfilling our accessibility commitments and obligations.

To ensure the standards and commitments in this policy are consistently achieved, we have monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in place. 

We record all feedback, including complaints and compliments, received from our guests about accessibility. These may relate to the journey planning process (including booking assistance) or the journey experience. Our Guest Experience Director reviews these personally. 

We also aim to monitor:

• The number of ticket sales for our services using a Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC), from sales data provided by our revenue team.
• The experience of older and disabled people using our trains through survey questions.  
• Assistance booked through our Guest Service Centre and how many rooms are booked for accessibility.
• Passenger Assistance bookings made by guests and delivered by staff.

To enable the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to independently monitor our progress we commit to sharing our performance data. As part of our annual review, we provide them with details on key actions we are taking in order to improve our performance. 

Access to the stations we serve and the facilities and assistance available at each varies considerably. Most of the stations that we serve were built in a time when inclusion of disabled people was rarely considered. Key improvements have been made at a number of stations across the national rail network and we will work with station operators to continue to improve the stations we serve. We have processes and policies in place to combat inconsistency and promote high levels of guest satisfaction, such as providing assistance and/or alternative accessible transport.

Any improvements we make will meet the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification (PRM-TSI) and the Joint Code of Practice. If this is not possible, we will apply for derogations against the PRM-TSI and/or dispensations against the Joint Code of Practice, after every effort has been made to comply with the requirements.

In 2024 we have achieved the following improvements:

• The Recite-Me accessibility toolbar has been added to our website to make it more inclusive by allowing visitors to customise your content so that they can read and understand it in ways that work best for them. These website enhancements were made in conjunction with our Guest Advisory Accessible Panel and the Shaw Trust.
• We have commissioned accessibility audits for all of our Caledonian Sleeper operated Guest Lounges to inform and ensure we prioritise our future enhancements.
• We have made some recommended improvements from our Guest Accessible Advisory Panel members to the Euston Lounge en-suite shower room and toilets.
• We have commissioned immediate improvements to our shower facilities in Inverness because of our audits, which will be complete by March 2025.
• An evacuation chair has been placed in our Perth Lounge and lounge staff have received the appropriate training in how to use it.
• Our staff training provision relating to matters surrounding equality and accessibility has been reviewed and a training proposal completed following this.
• An internal Equality Forum has been established, formed of colleagues from across the business who meet on a quarterly basis.

In 2025. We plan to make the following improvements:

• Implement a newly created accessible training package to all our frontline teams.
• Review our Accessibility Audits collaboratively with our Guest Accessible Advisory Panel and our Equality Forum and agree the priorities and budget for 2025.
• Collaborate with Network Rail in Euston to improve the Passenger Assistance Booking process for guests using the Caledonian Sleeper Lounge and boarding and alighting the train.
• Implement a Customer Relationship Management System which will in turn help us improve our Accessible experience by reviewing all the touch points through the end-to-end journey.
• Collaboration between our Guest Advisory Accessible Panel and our Marketing Team to continue improving our website, messaging and social media presence. 

We have a shared budget with ScotRail for minor work to improve access at stations. Each year, our Guest Experience Director, working with our Guest Advisory Accessible Panel, plans how we will spend this in consultation with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), Transport Focus, Mobility Access Committee Scotland, Network Rail and the relevant train operators managing the stations.  We will also consult with Transport Scotland on any enhancement opportunities.

We have a Guest Advisory Accessible Panel who meet at least twice a year. The Panel is comprised of:

• Guests who have travelled on our services and potential guests who might have identified barriers to using our services.
• People who have experience of receiving assistance from us to use our services.
• People with visible and non-visible impairments.
• People who experience a range of access barriers (related to a range of impairments and to characteristics such as age, income, long-term disabling conditions and confidence levels). 

The purpose of the Panel is to be an independent sounding board for us on accessibility issues, to critique our plans and propose ideas for improving the experiences of our disabled and older guests. 

They also help us to prioritise our investment plans and advise on how to raise awareness of assisted travel by signposting us to influential organisations in their networks. 

Accessibility consultants with lived experience of disability are commissioned to regularly review our progress and provide expert advice in improving access to our older and disabled guests. 

Our Guest Experience Director works with and involves groups representing disabled people and other stakeholders such as Mobility Access Committee Scotland.

We address accessibility issues as they arise during our regular stakeholder meetings with regional transport partnerships in Scotland, local authorities, councils and community rail partnerships and interest groups.  

All of our onboard hosts and colleagues in our Guest Service Centre receive disability awareness training when they start working for us and complete an e-learning every year to refresh their knowledge. A key outcome of this is the ability of our colleagues to communicate clearly and confidently with our guests to understand more about their accessibility requirements and impairments. Staff also learn about key equipment such as ramps and in-room intercoms.

 
The training also includes guidance on assisting guests with visible and non-visible impairments. We provide an annual report to Transport Scotland and the Office for Rail and Road on the training our staff have received. 

Topics covered in our training packages include:

• Understanding disabled people’s everyday challenges.
• Equality legislation.
• Defining disability.
• Recognising guests who need assistance.
• Rail regulatory framework.
• Passenger Assistance.
• Communication.
• Station accessibility.
• Providing safe assistance. 

Our live chat is operational from 12:00 on Sunday through to 16:00 on Saturday and remains open during the night so our Guest Ambassadors can assist with any queries you have throughout your journey with us.

You can access our live chat by clicking on the green speech bubble with three dots on the bottom right-hand corner of our webpages (shown below).

If you do not see this icon on your device please clear your cookies and accept all cookies during the prompt when you visit the website.

Our Guest Ambassadors are live on our X and Facebook platforms during the same hours as our live chat. 

You can contact us by email at enquiry@sleeper.scot 

You can contact our Guest Service Centre on 0330 060 0500.  The lines are open:

• Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:30.
• Saturday between 08:30 and 15:30.
• Sunday between 12:00 and 20:30.

Our dedicated Passenger Assistance phoneline can also be reached on this number and is open from:

• Monday to Friday between 08:30 and 22:00.
• Saturday between 08:30 and 15:30.
• Sunday between 12:00 and 22:00.

For calls from outwith the UK, please use the number 0141 555 0888.

Text Relay Direct will connect a Text Relay Assistant into the call if needed. The number is 1 800 103 300 600 500. If you would like us to call you back on your textphone, please advise us that you use a textphone and we will use the Text Relay Service when we call you.

Letters can be sent to the following address:

Caledonian Sleeper Limited
1 Union St
Inverness
IV1 1PP