Overview

Darlington rail station has frequent train services that connect to most metropolitan cities in England. For example, to the South; London, Sheffield, York and to the north; Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The train station has decent adaption to allow easy access for wheel chair users. However, a critical look of the the entire station after the visit made me discover some shortfall in adaptability. For example, when coming through the train station from the North entrance, there are stair cases and no provision for wheel chair access. This, in my view makes wheel chair users to ambulate almost three times the distance an able bodied person would walk from the new fee paying car park. Secondly, facing north as one exits the train station, there is an underground subway on the left side. This subway is looked really steep for wheel chair ambulation. It could be very hard to ambulate the wheel chair up the steep or even impossible for most wheel chair users.

Transport & Parking

The venues for disabled parking is just adjucent to the main short corridor to the train station and is very accessible. Public transport appears to support more of those who use taxis becuase the drop off point is also near to the corridor. The bus stop is not to far away as well.

Access

There is a disabled access to the toilets, ramps from the disabled car park and taxi drop off area.

Toilets

There is a clear sign and easily accessible.

Staff

They are very helpful. I observed a wheel chair user being ambulated over a ramp by a member of staff.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Overall it is easily accessible as it is near the town centre, bus lines, only a few miles to the main hospital and college / university. It is reasonably practical with regard to assistance with disabled / wheel chair users.

Photos