Historic building and busy station
4
4
Date of visit: July 2026
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
This station was a single-level station with eight different platforms. The main concourse at the front of the station has some seating and overhead displays with train and platform information. Off of the main concourse there are a number of shops and also a passenger lounge, toilets, and a travel centre. The station has a Changing Places toilet which is located in a separate building that is next to the taxi rank. There are also two accessible toilets located in the main toilet area. Unfortunately, I couldn't access the Changing Places toilet due to a faulty lift. The staff were really helpful here, including staff inside the shops. Because the station’s building is a listed building, some of the doorways are old and narrow but I didn’t struggle with any of them because staff were always stepping in to help.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The station is all on one level and there are eight platforms in total. There are ticket barriers between the main concourse and the platforms. There is clear signage which shows where the toilets and other key amenities are located. The signage all has a dark green background with white text and symbols. There is some bench seating in the station but not a lot. When I visited, I found that a lot of these seats were full. Because this is quite a small station, there wasn’t a dedicated assistance desk or anything or that sort. I just spoke to a member of staff at the ticket barriers and they were able to help. On the platform there were multiple ramps placed along it. There were seats placed at certain points and there were tactile markings at the edge of the platform. When a train was stopped at the platform, there was quite a step and gap between the train and the platform. This means that a boarding ramp is required for those that need step-free access. There were two tactile maps of the station, one by the front entrance and one by the taxi rank and car park. These have a yellow frame which stands out against the flooring and walls around them. The maps are colour coded and have tactile English text and Braille. While the station is a single-level venue, there is a lift to reach the Changing Places toilet but this is actually in a separate building just outside the station.
Accessible facilities: Single-level venue, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by train
There is a designated car park for this station. According to their website, it has a total of 633 parking spaces, with 20 of those being accessible parking spaces. Parking is free to Blue Badge holders. According to the station's website – if the accessible parking spaces are all occupied you can still park for free in a standard parking bay as long as you still display your Blue Badge. There are no EV charging facilities in this car park. The station has eight platforms and offers services operated by Gatwick Express, Thameslink, and Southern. These train operators offer trains to Seaford, Eastbourne, Portsmouth & Southsea, Chichester, Southampton Central, London Victoria via Gatwick Airport, Bedford via Gatwick Airport, London Bridge and Luton, and Cambridge via Gatwick Airport, London Bridge and Stevenage. Right outside the station’s main entrance there is a bus station with three bus stops and there are a further four bus stops on the roads nearby. From the three bus stops directly outside the station you can get the buses, 1, 1X, 3X, 6, 7, 46. N1, and N7. There is a taxi rank available next to the station car park where taxis will wait and are available.
Accessible facilities: Drop-off or pick up point, Dedicated on-site parking
Accessible Toilets
Average
There were two accessible toilets located in the main toilet area, they seemed to be segregated into male and female sides but both were available without having to enter the cubicle areas for the male and female toilets so they could be used by anyone. They required a RADAR to enter them, the doors opened outwards and were quite light. The toilet I used was on the smaller side but still had most of the transfer space kept free. There was space next to the toilet for a right-side transfer. There was one sanitary bin against the wall on the other side of the transfer area from the toilet, making the transfer space slightly narrower, but still clear for the most part. The toilet had no lid and the flush was a small, circular button and it was mounted on top of the cistern. There were grab rails around the toilet, including a height-adjustable one. In front of the toilet was a small sink with a single tap on the right-hand side. The tap was manually operated and had a long lever handle with an upturned end, which seemed like it could be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control both the temperature and flow of the water. There was a vertical grab rail on either side of the sink. Above the sink was a manual soap dispenser and a mirror. To the left of the sink was an automatic hand dryer. A red emergency cord hung freely to the floor next to the toilet. There was also a baby change table on the wall opposite the sink. On the wall next to the toilet there was a large dispenser on the wall which offered three different size Pampers nappies, Sudocrem, a small packet of Wet Ones wipes and Calpol. There is a Changing Places toilet located in a building in between the main station building and the station car park and taxi rank. There is clear signage inside the station about where it is located. The toilet is on the first floor of the building so requires using a lift to reach it. The lift is behind a door that has a numbered keypad to open it. There is a small coffee shop located just opposite this door and they were able to open the door for me but otherwise a staff member from the station can open it. The signage inside the station leading to the toilet does say “Speak to a member of staff for access” to save you travelling there and having to go back into the station to find someone. Unfortunately, when I tried to get to this toilet, the lift to reach the first floor wasn’t working so I was unable to reach it. The staff member at the coffee shop was very apologetic and said they would report it straight away to try and get someone out as soon as possible.
Facilities: Accessible toilet, Changing Places toilet
Staff
Excellent
The station staff were really helpful. They met me as expected when my train arrived and had a ramp so I could disembark. They were then really helpful with getting me on a train home as there were some delays and changes due to an earlier train issue. They made sure that I got on a train without much delay to my journey and called ahead to make sure they would meet me with a ramp at the other end of my journey. The station staff all wear high-visibility vests which makes it much easier to identify them.
