Not the most accessible of London's railway stations
3
3
Date of visit: November 2025
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
Average
I found Euston to be a very busy station, and much more overwhelming than some of the other main London railway stations. The station has services provided by Avanti West Coast, Caledonian Sleeper, and London Northwestern Railway. Euston was London’s first inter-city railway station, first opening in 1837. In some ways I felt that the accessibility reflects the station’s age. I was impressed by some parts of the station’s accessibility, for example, the Changing Places toilet and step-free access to most platforms from the ticket hall. However, there were lots of other aspects I felt were lacking, such as incredibly heavy doors into the accessible toilets, a lack of Braille information or tactile pathways and very steep ramps around the station. The accessible transport links are lacking as well for Euston station. I have found that for many other large railway stations in London, they have many good accessible transport links. The connections at Euston, however, are much more limited. The staff are really helpful here and the assistance lounge provides a safe space with seating away from the main crowds. But there are a number of other London railway stations I’d prefer to use over Euston if I can!
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
There are a lot of ways in and out of the station, some have ramps and lifts available but some only have stairs. There did seem to be clear signage to the closest step-free entrance around the station. The main ticket hall is a large hall with some amenities around the edge such as the ticket office, station concierge, and assistance lounge located around the edge of this space. There are a large number of digital screens providing train and platform information. Due to the screens and the platforms being in front of this area, people congregate here until they know which platform to go to. I couldn’t see any seating in this area but it was so busy that it might have not been visible to me through the crowds. The passenger assistance lounge was easy to spot and provided seating and they had wheelchairs and larger buggies to assist with navigating the station. The toilets were clearly signposted and easy to navigate to. This main toilet area had two accessible toilets and a Changing Places toilet. This area was quite busy but as people were all moving through, either into the toilets or towards the ticket hall or platforms, it didn’t feel as crowded. There was an upper level around the outside of the main ticket hall which could be reached by escalators or lifts. Here there were some food and drink outlets and the First Class lounge. The platforms were clearly numbered and I found it easy to find where I needed to go. There was quite a steep ramp from the ticket hall down to all the platforms. There were grab rails available on each side of the ramp but I found it a bit difficult to get back up the ramp, especially with luggage. There was a gap and step between the platform and trains so those requiring step-free access would need to either book it in advance via the train operator or the Passenger Assistance app or speak to staff at the assistance lounge. The platform edges were painted white and had tactile markers. The platforms were sometimes very long and there wasn’t much seating available. I was on a very long train and was at the other end from the ticket hall. Along the whole platform I only saw two benches. Those who can only walk short distances may find it useful to ask the assistance team to either provide assistance with one of their wheelchairs or their electric buggies. Most of the platform is undercover, however the longer trains may have one or two coaches of the train that aren’t. Throughout the station it appeared that there was a hearing loop for people to hear the audio announcements but I didn't see many other alternative formats being used. I didn't see a BSL sign and the only Braille I saw was on the signage by the Changing Places toilet.
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
There are a large number of services available from Euston: Avanti West Coast is the main train operator at Euston and provides a number of services to the following locations and main other stations along the way: Birmingham New Street via Coventry, with some extended to Wolverhampton Chester via Crewe, with some trains extended along the North Wales Main Line to Bangor or Holyhead Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport Liverpool Lime Street via Runcorn Glasgow Central via Preston London Northwestern Railway provides services to: Tring via Watford Junction Milton Keynes Central Birmingham New Street via Northampton Crewe via Nuneaton and Stafford Caledonian Sleeper operates two nightly services to Scotland from Sunday - Friday: The Highland Sleeper provides services to Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William and other stops along each route The Lowland Sleeper provides services to Glasgow and Edinburgh and other stops along the route. Euston is also connected to the London Overground. It is connected to the Lioness Line and provides services towards Watford Junction. There is an underground station linked to Euston which is connected to the Northern and Victoria lines. There are lifts from the main station down to the underground ticket hall, however to reach the platforms there are only escalators. There is no step-free access available to any of the underground lines at Euston station. Approximately 600 metres away is St Pancras International where there are more train providers and routes available, such as East Midlands Railway, Luton Airport Express, Thameslink, Southeastern, and the Eurostar. Approximately 900 metres away is Kings Cross railway station where there are national rail services and some underground services that have step-free access. The underground station provides access to the Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City, Northern, Victoria, and Piccadilly lines. The main railway station offers services from LNER, Thameslink, Hull Trains, Grand Central, and Lumo. Euston Bus Station is located just outside the station on a slightly lower level than the main ticket hall. There is step-free access from the main train station to the bus station. There are a number of different bus stops located within the bus station and they each have a range of bus services that stop here. The buses available from stops within the bus station are: 18, 30, 68, 91, 253, 390, N5, N20, N91, and N253. There is a taxi rank located within the same area as the bus station. There are different areas for pick-up and drop-off. There are two drop-off and pick-up points which both have space for up to three vehicles at one time. One is located on Euston Square Gardens and the other is located on Eversholt Street. The point on Euston Square Gardens is partially covered, has some seating available and also has a Help Point nearby. The Eversholt Street point doesn’t have these facilities. There is no parking available for this station.
Accessible facilities: Drop-off or pick up point
Accessible Toilets
Good
In the main toilet area there were two accessible toilets and a Changing Places toilet. Standard accessible toilets The standard accessible toilets were easy to spot as the doors were in a wall painted bright yellow and had clear signage. Above each door was a bright light which was green when the toilet was unlocked and empty and red when it was locked from the inside. Both of these toilets required a RADAR key to get inside but the doors were incredibly heavy. With my wheelchair and power attachment I found it impossible to twist the RADAR key to and pull the door with enough strength to start getting the door open. Luckily a passer-by opened and held the door open for me. On the inside, the door had a fixed, horizontal grab rail to assist with closing the door once you were inside. Although the door was so heavy it fell shut behind me quite quickly. The door handle needed to be pushed upwards to lock the door from the inside, as with all RADAR key locks. The toilets were on the smaller side but they did provide space for a right-side transfer. There was a sanitary bin that had been placed against the wall and slightly obstructed the transfer area but most of the space was kept free. There was a height-adjustable grab rail which was placed on the same side of the toilet as the transfer area. Another fixed, vertical grab rail was also mounted to the wall on the side of the toilet with the transfer space. On the opposite side of the toilet was a fixed, horizontal grab rail which was underneath the toilet paper dispenser. The flush was a lever flush with a rounded end, meaning it could have been pushed with an elbow or fist, and it was mounted on the cistern. It was placed on the same side as the transfer area so you did not have to reach across the toilet to use it. There was a small colostomy shelf on the wall on either side of the transfer space. In front of the toilet was a small sink with a single tap. The tap was manually operated and had a long lever which tilted up at the end which seemed like it would be able to be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control both the temperature and flow of the water. Above the sink was a manual soap dispenser and there was a fixed, vertical grab rail on either side of the sink. The emergency cord had been looped around the height-adjustable grab rail when I went inside. I unwrapped it so it was hanging freely and attached a Euan’s Guide Safer Toilets card to it. Changing Places toilet The Changing Places toilet was clearly signposted with signage that had text, symbols and Braille. It also had a bright light above the door which was green when the door was unlocked and unoccupied and red when it was locked from the inside. It also needed a RADAR key to get inside but the door was much lighter than the other accessible toilets so it was much easier to get inside. Inside there was a large fixed, horizontal grab rail on the door to make it easier to shut the door once you were inside. The door handle needed to be pushed upwards to lock the door from the inside, as with all RADAR key locks. To the left as you entered were six coat hooks which were mounted at different heights so anyone could use them. There was a height-adjustable bench which had a safety rail and shower facilities. Above the bench was also a ceiling hoist in its charging position. The safe working load limit for both the bench and the ceiling hoist was 200kg. There was a paper dispenser which held a large paper roll that could be placed on the bench before someone lay on it. There were two privacy screens that were on rollers. These could be pulled around the bench to ensure that the person on the bench had complete privacy. There was transfer space on both sides of the toilet but the left-side transfer area was much smaller than the right-side. The toilet had a plastic back rest that could be leaned against for support. There was a height-adjustable grab rail on either side of the toilet and they had toilet roll holders on them but they didn’t have any toilet paper on them. There was a toilet paper dispenser but it was mounted on the wall which was too far away from where the toilet was located to be easily reached from the toilet. The flush was a sensor that was mounted on the wall behind the toilet. There was a colostomy shelf near the toilet too. The sink was height-adjustable and it was controlled by a wired remote control which was left hanging on one of the grab rails by the sink. It was a large sink with two separate taps for hot and cold water. The taps were manually operated and had long levers which seemed like they would be able to be operated with a fist or elbow. The taps twisted to control the flow of the water. There was a large mirror mounted above the sink and also moved with the sink. A fixed, vertical grab rail was mounted on either side of the sink and a manual soap dispenser was mounted on the left-hand side. On the right hand side was a large metal panel mounted to the wall. It had a square hole in the centre which was an automatic hand dryer. To the right of that was a small bin mounted into the wall which was quite low to the ground so it could be easily used from a seated position. There were three emergency red cords inside the Changing Places toilet. One was by the toilet itself, one was located at the top of the height-adjustable bench and another was by the sink. They were all hanging freely to the floor and I made sure to attach a Euan’s Guide Safer Toilets card.
Facilities: Accessible toilet, Changing Places toilet with shower, Changing Places toilet
Staff
Excellent
I only interacted with the passenger assistance staff on my visits but they were really great. I had prebooked my assistance via the Passenger Assistance app so when I arrived they already had my information. I was given the option to wait in the lounge to meet a member of staff and they could show me to the platform, or they could tell me which platform to go to and I could meet them there. They were also able to tell me which coach my wheelchair space had been booked in so that I could go to the right part of the train. I opted to make my own way there and meet someone there. I didn’t have to wait long before a member of staff arrived with a ramp. They got me onto the train and made sure I was all okay before leaving. On my return I was met with staff and a ramp promptly and was able to disembark the train without any delays. I was asked if I needed any assistance leaving the station and I said I was okay. In hindsight, I possibly should have asked someone to make sure I got up the ramp okay into the main station but I was able to manage and I know that the staff would be happy to help if I asked for that in the future!
