Catching the train to and from Nottingham
4
4
Date of visit: August 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 railway station also has a tram stop connected to it, and is based towards the south of Nottingham city centre. It has a total of 9 platforms with three different train operators, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and Northern Trains. There are a large number of seats available at the front of the station which has a lot of natural light brightening the space. There are also a number of food vendors there. There is a ticket office just before the ticket barriers. On the other side of the ticket barriers are staff who are available to assist with any boarding assistance you may need. There are then lifts and stairs down to each of the platforms. Along the platforms are seats, waiting rooms, toilets and vending machines. I even saw a customer service office between platforms 2 and 3. The edges of the platforms have tactile markings and a painted yellow line. There is overhead signage along each platform and there are additional signs painted on the floor with arrows towards the lifts which was really helpful. The lift I used on each visit was really large and could fit a lot of us at once. There was an accessible toilet at this station, it was a bit small, but did the job. There seems to have previously been a Changing Places toilet at the station but all the signage to it had been removed. The staff were really helpful and friendly both when I arrived at the station and when I was departing again.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
There are a number of different entrances into the station. The all either have level access to the street or they provide ramped access as well as stairs. You can also access the station via the car park and the tram stop. These both bring you into the same part of the station where there are automatic sliding doors and a lift. The flooring throughout the station was very smooth with no lips or bumps to navigate. The main concourse had a lot of wooden seating with back support. There were some armrests but not many. There were also some power outlets by these seats. There were also some food vendors in the main concourse area, such as a Co-op and café options. There was a manned ticket office available which had automatic sliding doors leading into the area. I wasn’t able to see a lowered counter available there. There are ticket barriers before you are able to reach the platforms. There are a number of wider ticket barriers and these are signposted with overhead signs to make them easier to spot. I didn’t see a dedicated assistance lounge when I used the station. I spoke to staff who were placed by the ticket barriers and they communicated with the assistance team while I made my way to the platform. The platforms are accessed via stairs or lifts. The lift I used was a very large lift. The buttons were tactile and also had Braille. There were two alarm buttons, one where the rest of the buttons were and one near the floor in case someone had an emergency and fell. There was also a grab rail on one side. The platforms had tactile markings and a painted yellow line near the edge of the platform and the rest of the platform flooring was very smooth. There were vending machines available along the platforms and seats. There was a waiting room which was a covered, indoor space. This had buttons to open the doors. There were help points located around the station. These are fixtures that can alert staff of any emergencies or request assistance if you’re unable to find staff. It is a circular, white fixture with one button for emergencies and another for information and to speak to staff.
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Good
There are three train operators that run services from Nottingham Railway Station. They are CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and Northern Trains. Between these operators, there are trains to London St Pancras International, Leicester, Skegness, Worksop, Matlock, Lincoln Central, Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Norwich, Birmingham New Street, Cardiff Central, and Leeds. The station has its own dedicated car park which is operated by APCOA. According to the National Rail website, it has a total of 957 parking spaces, 8 of which are accessible parking spaces. Parking is free if you have a Blue Badge and have registered on the APCOA website - bluebadge.apcoa.co.uk. There is a taxi rank just outside the station with signage showing how to find it. There is a tram stop connected to the station with clear signage leading to it. There is a ticket machine inside the station building to purchase tickets for the tram, as well as ticket machines on the tram stop platforms. There is a lift that provides access to the tram stop level. There are some bus stops directly outside the station where you can get the buses 5, 5A, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9B, 10, 10A, 10C, 12, 12C, 12E, 90 Pathfinder, LC9, and services to Bingham, Keyworth, Cotgave, and East Midlands Airport. The station is also just 220 metres from Broad Marsh bus station.
Accessible facilities: Dedicated on-site parking, Drop-off or pick up point
Accessible Toilets
Average
There are toilets in the main station building and these are clearly signposted. There is one accessible toilet in this area which is accessed with a RADAR key. It seems that there was previously a Changing Places toilet in the station, however all the signage had been removed for it. There were more toilets located on the platforms as well. I used the accessible toilet in the main station building. It was quite a small toilet but I was able to manage well enough. It required a RADAR key to enter and the door opened outwards. Inside was a fairly narrow room. There was a toilet in the back left corner with space next to it which should have been space for a right-side transfer, however, there was a large bin obstructing the transfer space. The red emergency cord was also hanging into this space which also made it difficult to get alongside the toilet. There was a grab rail that could be raised and lowered, as needed, next to the toilet and a fixed one beneath the toilet paper dispenser. The flush was a large circular button and it was mounted on the wall behind the toilet. There was a cushioned backrest behind the toilet seat to provide something to lean on. In front of the toilet was a small sink with a single tap mounted on the right-hand side. The tap was manually operated and had a long lever handle, 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 and above it was a manual soap dispenser. To the left of the sink was an automatic hand dryer. The red emergency cord was hanging freely to the floor when I entered.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
