4
Special assistance Malaga Train Station
The assistance at the station gets 5 stars but I've given 4 because the pre-travel stuff was not so good.
First I needed to book a ticket online with special assistance (PMR) added on. More information about it in English is here.
https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/informacion-util/servicio-de-asistencia/requesting-the-service
In theory that is sufficient but if you use a wheelchair in which you stay seated you will need to choose a wheelchair space. I have a mobility scooter which doesn't fit any of their categories so I called up. I couldn't get through to an English speaker so I had to explain in Spanish in the end. The number I called was 912140505. If you ask for an English speaker I think you will eventually get through to one.
The customer service person added some details to the booking. The website says wheelchairs have to be colapsable and no more than 25kg. But she said the scooter would be fine (it's big and weighs 52kg). She advised us to come 30 minutes before departure.
We arrived at the station and found the customer service. There are several so I took a picture of the one we needed. The station is all flat with lifts to carparks and the lounge. They have disabled toilets in several locations.
30 minutes before departure we went to the desk and a man in a salmon/peach coloured shirt (a uniform) came and guided me through security and took care of lifting the bags. They only scanned our bags. There aren't many restrictions for what you can take onboard.
On the platform they brought out a big ramp that you drive onto and then it raises up so you are level with the train and you can drive straight onto the train (see photo).
I left the scooter in the vestibule and the man from special assistance put my bags on the luggage rack. He guided me (now on foot) to my seat.
I was impressed by the ease of it once at the station. I'm not so impressed by the information they provided and the lack thereof. And the phone system is cumbersome. If I was near the station days before traveling I would have gone directly to customer assistance and given the details face to face. In the end, I doubt they needed much warning about the scooter. It didn't seem to worry anyone.
The assistance at the station gets 5 stars but I've given 4 because the pre-travel stuff was not so good.
First I needed to book a ticket online with special assistance (PMR) added on. More information about it in English is here.
https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/informacion-util/servicio-de-asistencia/requesting-the-service
In theory that is sufficient but if you use a wheelchair in which you stay seated you will need to choose a wheelchair space. I have a mobility scooter which doesn't fit any of their categories so I called up. I couldn't get through to an English speaker so I had to explain in Spanish in the end. The number I called was 912140505. If you ask for an English speaker I think you will eventually get through to one.
The customer service person added some details to the booking. The website says wheelchairs have to be colapsable and no more than 25kg. But she said the scooter would be fine (it's big and weighs 52kg). She advised us to come 30 minutes before departure.
We arrived at the station and found the customer service. There are several so I took a picture of the one we needed. The station is all flat with lifts to carparks and the lounge. They have disabled toilets in several locations.
30 minutes before departure we went to the desk and a man in a salmon/peach coloured shirt (a uniform) came and guided me through security and took care of lifting the bags. They only scanned our bags. There aren't many restrictions for what you can take onboard.
On the platform they brought out a big ramp that you drive onto and then it raises up so you are level with the train and you can drive straight onto the train (see photo).
I left the scooter in the vestibule and the man from special assistance put my bags on the luggage rack. He guided me (now on foot) to my seat.
I was impressed by the ease of it once at the station. I'm not so impressed by the information they provided and the lack thereof. And the phone system is cumbersome. If I was near the station days before traveling I would have gone directly to customer assistance and given the details face to face. In the end, I doubt they needed much warning about the scooter. It didn't seem to worry anyone.
