Eurostar has reversed a new accessibility policy that left a wheelchair user stranded and has retrained its London staff following pressure from the Observer.
Travellers with disabilities claimed that they would be barred from Eurostar services after the company banned its London staff from pushing passenger wheelchairs. Those who require assistance were told they must travel with a companion or cancel their ticket if they were unable to access services unaided, according to passengers who contacted the Observer.
Student actor Cedric Alvarez was left stranded on arrival at London St Pancras after station staff told him they were no longer allowed to wheel his chair. He had requested special assistance for the journey from Paris and his booking confirmation stated that he would be pushed to and from the train at both stations.
“Eventually, a couple of staff took pity on me and agreed to push me to the taxi rank provided they could take a photo of me to show their manager in case they got into trouble,” he said.
He met the same problem on his return journey. “This was the first time I had travelled independently and I was so excited, only to be told by Eurostar that I should have taken a companion. I’d travelled to London to see a play, written and performed by disabled actors, which showed that disability need not be an obstacle to a successful career, but Eurostar thinks differently.”
Eurostar employs specialist agencies that are licensed to provide passenger assistance on the continent but has brought the service in-house in London. It initially told the Observer that it is unable to train its staff to push passenger wheelchairs for health and safety reasons, but that travellers who need assistance can transfer into a station chair. It insisted that those who are unable to transfer can buy a reduced-price ticket for a travelling companion and apologised for the poor communication.
The requirements were not mentioned in its special assistance booking confirmation or on its accessibility policy, which was only updated after the Observer reported it to the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
Eurostar has now agreed to revoke the policy and train its staff after the Observer raised the plight of other passengers unable to travel because of the rules.
One woman, who prefers not to be named, said she was told to cancel her booking because Eurostar refused to deploy a ramp for her partner, who has impaired mobility.
“My partner is not in a wheelchair, but he can’t manage the steps up into the train,” she said. “We were told ramps can only be used for wheelchair users and that if he couldn’t manage the steps we could ask for a refund. This was to be his first trip abroad since he had a stroke 15 years ago, and he’d been looking forward to it for months.”
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Lynne Verrall, who has motor neurone disease, told the Observer that Eurostar’s policy would force her to fly rather than travel by train as she is unable to transfer herself to a station wheelchair.
“They say they can’t train staff to push all types of wheelchairs but have they trained them to lift someone who is paralysed into one of their own?” she said. “The whole heartless exercise suggests that they think all wheelchair users are the same.”
A spokesperson for Eurostar told the Observer: “The experience of these customers and your outreach has prompted us to take a very close look at accessibility, which is a top priority for Eurostar. Customers will now be assisted in their own wheelchairs provided they pass a visual safety check. To support this initiative, we have already trained over 60 staff members, and this training will be conducted every 12 months.
“Our partners at the European Business and Service Centre are updating their information accordingly. Pre-travel communications will also be amended to explain the elements we will be checking.”
