Being in London means that the Eurostar is an extremely viable option to travel around Europe and there are a few destinations to travel to including Paris, Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Disneyland Paris, Amsterdam pretty much directly (though some journeys are indirect) and travel further onwards (at the time of writing).
The journey to Eurostar starts very much with the website and finding out about the different options as a passenger requiring assistance. Eurostar has very detailed information and insights on the passengers who may require different types of assistance on Eurostar services. https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-planning/accessibility
The rest of this post specifically focuses on travelling with Eurostar as a wheelchair user.
To book a wheelchair space can be completed on the website (https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/book-wheelchair). If there are only two people travelling, this is a good option. It is definitely important to read all the Frequently Asked Questions on the site and be clear about the requirements you may need. If there are more than two people travelling together (the website only allows 1 wheelchair user and 1 companion, under the same booking) or if you have questions then there is always the option to call directly. There are usually up to four wheelchair spaces on the Eurostar, and the spaces can accommodate an electric or manual wheelchair. Be sure to check that your wheelchair dimensions are in line with the Eurostar limits for avoidance of any issues.
We decided to complete a day trip to Lille with Eurostar in August 2022, given that it is only 1hr30m approximately from London St. Pancras (closer than a lot of UK cities!). The wheelchair spaces on Eurostar are either in the Standard Premier or Business Premier carriages of the train (it depends on train configuration in use) and the cost of tickets is at the lowest-priced Standard class fare, so can be a really affordable option for travelling abroad. As there were three of us travelling, we had to make another booking for the Standard class ticket (the Premier prices can be significantly higher than Standard class).
Departure: London to Lille
Arrival at St. Pancras and navigation to the Eurostar departure area is well signposted. As we reached the ticket scanning booth/desk we were approached by staff who directed us to a counter agent. The agent checked our booking and the details of the assistance requested.
Following this we then went through security checks including putting bags through the security scanners. The security guard did a thorough ‘pat down’ while seated in the chair, scanned with the wand and also took some swabs as part of the security check.
Next onto the border control checks, sometimes there is a separate queue for wheelchair users to use rather than navigating the narrow queue control posts. However, upon initial sight into the border area this did not appear to be there, We navigated back and forth through the control posts, before a security worker noticed and indicated to one of the colleagues to assist (the first individual actually ignored this indication (as if he did not want to assist), but fortunately another colleague came to assist and helped us to navigate so that it was easier to queue.
Border checks are straightforward, and after that, into the Eurostar lounge waiting area. Upon first glance it actually seems like a pretty small waiting area (as you have to carry luggage on it feels like there’s more people and staff), but then considering the number of trains departing the place does clear out relatively quickly. There is a Business Premier lounge towards the right hand side once you pass through all the checks, and a few small cafes.
There are travelators to allow passengers up to the platform when the train is ready to board. In the case of wheelchair users, there are lifts direct to each of the platforms. These lifts I think can be either opened at the time of boarding, but usually will require a member of staff to provide assistance in using them (as they require unlocking). Unfortunately, the lift we needed for our platform was out of service. This meant we had to use a lift for a different platform and then navigate our way round to the correct platform. Locating staff in the lounge can sometimes be a bit difficult with all the passengers and there was no-one by the information desk. Fortunately there is a member of staff at the Business Premier entrance who was able to radio for a staff member to escort us in the lift.
Once we arrived to the correct platform, we had to find the carriage corresponding to the ticket and await a ramp for assistance. Staff members were at the doors of each carriage, checking tickets and welcoming passengers. There are two types of ramps primarily that we have seen in use at St. Pancras. One is an electric ramp that a wheelchair user wheels onto the ramp and it raises to the height of the train and lowers to the height of the platform (like a staircase platform lift) and a foldable manual ramp that unfolds into several ramps at different heights and the wheelchair user wheels up the course of connected ramps.
For the one below, the first panel flips down, and the wheelchair user drives onto the lift/platform. The user is between the closed front and back panels. The lift/platform is raised. Once at the correct height for the train, the platform in front of the user is then opened and lowered, so that it sits flat to the train floor. The wheelchair user is then able to directly wheel off the lift/platform and onto the train.
The train to Lille that we were on was heading to Brussels. The staff were on top of ensuring that we were ready to disembark at Lille and that was somebody waiting on the platform to assist rather than thus ending up going all the way to Brussels. A similar type of lift/ramp was used at the destination point of Lille.
Seating on the Eurostar trains is sufficient with space allowed for the wheelchair user to stay in seat and a table that can be raised or lowered to suit the height needed.
Once we exited the ramp, the station staff member queried whether we were boarding another train or if this was our destination. As Lille was our stop the staff member pointed out the direction of the lifts and left us to navigate our way to the exit. The lift from the train takes you to the platform level, and then you can make your way along the hall to another lift that takes you up to street level (there are a few lifts at regular intervals in the hall).
Lille – Attractions
Lille is a small city and very easy to get around. The train arrives at Gare Lille Europe and while not directly in the centre, it is extremely close to all the places you may want to visit (this is one of two main stations in the area). We spent most of the visit on foot/on wheelchair and we were able to cover quite a few sights. If you are interested in the museums etc. you may need more than a day, but for us it was sufficient though we can always return. We enjoyed especially looking at the architecture around Vieux Lille and the main square.
The Lille Tourism Office (https://en.lilletourism.com/) It is located at Palais Rihour, there is a ramp towards the main entrance of the building and once inside the main door, there is a steeper small ramp to get inside the actual Tourism office. The tourism office also offers guided tours every day, however space is limited for those with mobility needs and we did not partake in this our visit. It is advisable to contact them directly for details and availability if this is something of interest. https://en.lilletourism.com/city-tour.html. Note: the office goes on a lunch break between 12.30-1.30 and the office is completely closed, so be aware of this if you do want to get maps etc. It is about 20 minutes away from Lille Europe.
The Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange): This is located in the square at the heart of the Old Town area of Lille. There is a wheelchair accessible route into the courtyard with small little signs to help you navigate. The architecture is interesting, with busts and details of famous French people on the walls, and inside there is a second hand market (mostly books) on the inside, though not many stalls were open when we visited.
Parc Citadelle (Citadel Park) and Lille Zoo: There is a small zoo (wih an entry fee) in the middle of the park. Wheelchair users enter at a discounted rate with 1 accompanying companion and all areas are easy to navigate. The park itself is fun and leisurely, much bigger than anticipated and you could probably end up spending a few hours here. The Citadel is in use, with no entry to the public, so if limited on time would skip trying to find the way to the centre unless it is something of particular interest.
Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille: The main art museum in Lille and one of the largest in France dedicated to fine arts, modern art, and antiquities. https://pba.lille.fr/en/Information
Euralille: Next to Gare Lille Europe is a large shopping centre with the same selection of high street shops that would be familiar in most shopping malls (like a Westfield).
Return: Lille to London
The return journey from Lille was a little more ‘interesting’ from an experience perspective. The Eurostar area is in a dedicated part of the station in Hall 4. The first checks to be completed are the usual Eurostar checks. We were approached by a member of staff and then went to the counter. There was an issue with the tickets we had booked as they were showing as blocked, thus they rebooked us tickets into a different carriage (this was lucky because it wasn’t really clear why the other tickets were blocked especially as other passengers were still using that carriage and there was actually a wheelchair space in the alternative carriage). However, this does through a spanner in the works if you’re in a group and have initially booked close carriages together because the other carriage booked was at the other end of the train. We went through the border checks with no issues.
The remaining checks were at Security. The first obstacle encountered was, the scanner – there was concern over whether the wheelchair would fit through the scanner without trouble and there was no gate at the side to go around. This meant a deviated route, escorted by Eurostar staff and Security to get into the waiting area. Second obstacle we faced: a non working lift, the lift to take us down from the waiting area to the train platform was out of service. After waiting for almost all passengers to use the escalators, we were escorted by heavily armed Security and Eurostar staff to a different lift to get down to the platform. As we exited the lift, the train was imminently arriving. Our seats were now at the end of the platform, we had to really rush to be at the right carriage for boarding and so did the station assistant. Third obstacle, the train arriving at Lille was coming from another destination which meant people were already seated and were on the last leg of the journey to London. Upon boarding, it was noted that a passenger was sitting in the companion space, attached to the wheelchair space, which we had been reallocated to. We had to wait in the doorway/hallway area. We were still waiting when the train moved off, while staff was discussing with the passenger in the space. Given the time between reallocation of tickets and the train arriving, I wonder if this is something that Eurostar staff should have dealt with before the train arrived into the station, to not have people standing being unable to settle down properly.
Arrival at St. Pancras was on time with no issues. There was a member of staff waiting at the carriage exit with the ramp ready to load and allow us to exit the train.
Upon exit, there seems to be only one lift to go back down to the main terminal area and is a small lift that only takes one wheelchair user at a time and people with buggies/pushchairs/prams also use this lift, so there may be a queue. After that we found our way back into the main St. Pancras departure area where the day started.
Pros
– Space and ease of travel with lift/ramp assistance
– Seated in at least Standard Premier, with the associated benefits of light food/drink
– Luggage allowances – we were only travelling for the day, but if for a longer destination this would be useful for any extra equipment needed
Cons
– Only one guest can travel directly with the wheelchair user, as a companion at the same price. If more than two people are travelling and all want to sit together in the same class, then you will need to pay the Premier ticket prices, or the rest of the travelling party will need to sit in different carriages.
– A bit outside of Eurostar control, but station breakdowns add complexity and stress to a journey – both Kings Cross and Lille stations having broken lifts was disappointing.
– Passengers not in correct seats with a change and the train actually started moving before we were even close to settling in.