Busy station with good connections and decent accessibility
4
4
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
Good
Liverpool Lime Street is the main railway station in central Liverpool. It is set across two levels; above ground is the National Rail part of the station with services from East Midlands Railway, Transpennine Express, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Avanti West Coast, and Transport for Wales, and the underground part of the station which is part of the metro line operated by Merseyrail. I’ve done a separate review about the Merseyrail experience. The station was fairly easy to navigate, there was lots of clear signage that helped me to find my way around. The floors were all smooth but there were some sections that were very busy and became more difficult to navigate. When I arrived in Liverpool the first time, I was met promptly by staff who had brought a ramp so I could get off the train. They were very friendly and helpful and made sure I didn’t need any further assistance. When I arrived back at the station to return home again I found the process slightly more confusing. There was a passenger assistance waiting area but it was easy to miss. It was located by the information desk and consisted of some seating surrounded by some barriers with purple banners saying ‘passenger assist’ on them. However, there were no members of staff near this area and the information desk had been closed as well. As the time got closer to my train’s departure time I started to get quite nervous as there wasn’t anyone in sight to ask for help and there were no numbers to call. Eventually some staff did come over and promptly got me onto my train. I think perhaps a sign explaining that staff would be on their way and to remain waiting in the area would have been useful. I noticed that there were tactile maps of the station by two of the entrances. Staff had an electric buggy to help transport those who struggle with longer distances. There was also a BSL display providing information about trains and platforms. Throughout the station and the platforms, there was seating regularly available, although at busy times this seating filled up quickly. There was a clearly signposted accessible toilet available in the station as well.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
There are a number of different entrances into the station and they all have step-free access from the street. The entrance onto Lime Street had a lift available, as well as ramps. Each entrance leads into the main concourse where all the amenities can be found. There is seating throughout the main concourse and lots of signage overhead with directions. I saw two tactile maps in the station to show where everything was located, one was by the Lord Nelson Street entrance and the other was close to the information desk and passenger assist area. There was also a BSL display which provided train and platform updates and information in British Sign Language. There were automatic ticket machines available but the screens were quite tall. There was also a ticket office with manned desks. The entrance to the ticket office had automatic sliding doors and rope barriers to guide people to the assistance desks. There were a number of shops and food outlets when I visited including, Costa, Boots, WHSmith, M&S Simply Food, Krispy Kreme, Upper Crust and Starbucks. There was also a baggage drop shop but this was shut when I visited. The passenger assist team was available to help me on and off the trains as there is a gap between the train and the platform that I needed a ramp for.
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by train
From the railway station, there are a number of train lines operating, including East Midlands Railway, Transpennine Express, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Avanti West Coast, and Transport for Wales. Between all these operators there are trains to Norwich, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Airport, Manchester Oxford Road, Sheffield, Nottingham, Peterborough, Glasgow Central, Birmingham New Street, Runcorn, Crewe, Warrington Central, Wigan North Western, Blackpool North, London Euston, Chester, and other stations along the way. Below the main station, on Platform A, is the metro service operated by Merseyrail. This station is on the Wirral line and provides services towards Chester, New Brighton, West Kirby, and Ellesmere Port. For other destinations, you may need to change at the next station on from Lime Street, Liverpool Central, or the one after that, James Street. There is a drop-off and set-down point at the station which is located by the taxi rank on Skelhorne Street. According to the station website, there is a short-stay car park and a long-stay car park. These are both paid, 24/7 car parks. The short stay car park is on Skelhorne Street and has four accessible parking spaces. The long stay car park is on Lord Nelson Street and has 13 accessible parking spaces and there is a lift from this car park to the station concourse. Outside the station on Lord Nelson Street is a bus stop where the buses 10A, 14A, 14C, and 17 are available. There are ramps down to the street or a lift.
Accessible facilities: Dedicated on-site parking, Drop-off or pick up point, Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Good
The accessible toilet was located by the Lord Nelson Street entrance. There was signage throughout the railway station showing where the toilets were located and there was also a very large sign directly above the accessible toilet which was easy to see. There was a sign on the door that said ‘left hand transfer “Accessible WC” located in the ladies toilets’. This accessible toilet was a right-side transfer so it was good to see the other option was also available. The ladies toilets were just to the left of this toilet. The door required a RADAR key to get inside and there was also a vertical grab rail to make it easier to open the door. The door opened outwards and was slightly heavy but not too bad. On the inside of the door there was a horizontal grab rail to assist with closing the door from the inside. The lock required the handle to be pushed upwards. Like with all RADAR key locks, it had a large handle which could be operated with a fist or elbow. The toilet had space for a right-side transfer but it was quite small and there were two sanitary bins located in the back right corner, which could get in the way. On the same side as the transfer space, there was a height-adjustable grab rail and a fixed, vertical grab rail. On the other side of the toilet was a small lip which was tiled like the walls and could function as a low shelf. There was a horizontal grab rail just above this. There was no toilet paper dispenser, just a large roll of toilet paper that had been left on the tiled shelf. The toilet didn’t have a lid and it had a plastic backrest to provide support. The flush was a lever-style flush with a rounded end that could be operated with a fist or elbow, 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. In front of the toilet was a small sink with a single tap on the left-hand side. The tap was manually operated and had a short lever which seemed like it would be able to be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control the temperature of the water and lifted to control the flow. On either side of the sink was a vertical grab rail and between them was a manual soap dispenser. To the left of the sink was an automatic hand dryer and to the left of that was a tall mirror. Another small shelf, at a higher height than the one by the toilet, was to the left of the mirror, and there was a large bin beneath it to dispose of any waste. There was an ADi RoomMate® on the right as soon as you entered the toilet. However, I believe it is meant to make an audio announcement when anyone enters and it didn’t do this when I entered. The emergency red cord hung to the floor and I put a Euan’s Guide Red Cord Card on it too.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
Excellent
The staff were helpful and friendly and always checked I didn’t need anything else from them before leaving me. I was met really promptly when I arrived in Liverpool and they had a ramp so I could get off the train. When I was returning home again I found that the staff were much harder to locate. They must have been quite busy at the time but it did make me quite nervous as there was no way to make sure they knew I was there and needed assistance. But they did arrive and got me onto my train promptly and still in decent time before it departed.
