Meg Castro, 22, who is studying in Liverpool claimed she had to “crawl” onto an Avanti West Coast train at Lime Street and again didn’t have help when she arrived at London Euston
An injured customer has spoken of having to ‘crawl’ onto a train to London Euston to attend an appointment with her consultant.
Meg Castro, 22, from Kent, is at university in Liverpool and has told of the lack of assistance she received on a trip to London last Monday for a post-operation appointment with her doctor. She claimed she had to “crawl” onto her 9.43am Avanti West Coast train from Liverpool Lime Street to Euston because there was no ramp. “I got to the train 10 minutes before it was time to leave and they said there wasn’t enough time to get a ramp,” Ms Castro said.
When it came to getting off at Euston, she said the only help that received was from “people being nice”. Ms Castro injured her foot last February and said how “it’s been an absolute nightmare getting anywhere”.
She said: “It’s been an absolute nightmare getting anywhere […]. This [disability] is not permanent, so I feel like, unless you plan ahead and do it [travel] regularly, it’s quite difficult. I’m sure I could have planned ahead a little bit more, but still, I feel like it [assistance] should kind of be there.”
Ms Castro added: “Because I’m quite strong, and fit before I did the injury, it means that I can get over a lot of things that will be inaccessible to someone who’s slightly worse off, or in a wheelchair. Because I’m quite good at hopping on my crutches, which is a lot of energy. Even for me. I was working out five days a week, and I’m still finding it really difficult. So, if you’re any less able than that, you’re screwed, basically.””
A Network Rail spokesperson responding to Ms Castro’s criticism told My London: “We are very sorry to hear about Meg Castro’s experience. We would like to get in touch to properly understand how we could have helped her better at Lime Street and at Euston.
“We do recommend that people who need assistance book ahead for a smoother journey most easily achieved using the passenger assistance app – however we know that many people prefer to travel independently and the more we can do as a railway to facilitate that, the better.”
It also has a ‘travel companion’ which can be used at shorter notice. Staffed by members of Avanti’s social media team, it ‘aims to improve journeys when the unexpected happens by giving disabled customers the opportunity to chat to someone in real time that really understands’.
The company’s website says: “Whether it’s a lift suddenly out of order, or a wheelchair user needing help from a train manager while onboard, customers can reach out for extra assistance by messaging Avanti West Coast Travel Companion on WhatsApp. A member of the team will then exchange messages with the customer to check their needs and help in a way that’s right for them.
It adds: “The channel utilises WhatsApp to connect passengers on the West Coast Main Line to dedicated resource who will be able support any passengers that need it.”
