At GWR, we're making the railway accessible to everyone. We want to make sure that everyone in our community is confident using a train.
We know that rail travel can be overwhelming for many people. To help people get more confident travelling safely and independently on our trains, we offer free Try a Train events.
Try a Train events are perfect for:
- People with disabilities or accessibility needs
- Schools and groups, including SEN schools and specialist academies
- Job or education seekers
- The elderly
- Children
We're here to help anyone who would like tailored support. We'll design the event around your needs, showing your group how to use our trains safely, independently, and confidently.
What is a Try a Train event?
Our Try a Train events have two parts. The first part is about familiarising people with our stations, and the second part takes place onboard our trains with our accessibility team.
Try a Train – Part A (Stations)
The first part of a Try a Train event is at the station. Groups can visit their local station, and will learn about:
- Station safety
- The help available at staffed and unstaffed stations
- How to plan a journey
- How to purchase a ticket
- How to use a ticket barrier (also known as 'the gateline')
- Understanding the environment and information around you
- How trains leave the station (the 'dispatch' process)
Try a Train – Part B (Onboard our trains)
The second part of a Try a Train event is onboard one of our trains. We'll take you from one local station to another with our accessibility team. Groups will learn about:
- Onboard safety (including getting on and off the train)
- How to plan a journey
- Knowing which train is the one you want
- Where to stand when waiting for a train
- The help available onboard a train
- How to find your seat and where the toilets are
- Knowing what tickets you have and making sure they're the right tickets
Who runs a Try a Train event?
We have a dedicated accessibility team that focuses on improving mobility, accessibility, and inclusion at GWR.
We also have a group of volunteers, who work with our accessibility team. Our volunteers have different roles across the railway and beyond, including GWR, Network Rail, community partners, and local councils.
Together, they deliver our Try a Train events, making sure your group learns everything they need to know about travelling on our trains.
How to book a Try a Train event for your group
If you are interested in booking a Try a Train event or finding out more, you can email accessibilitymentors@gwr.com.
Our dedicated team will build a journey or programme for your group.
If you are a council member or a GWR colleague interested in being an accessibility volunteer, please let us know in your email and our team will be in touch.
More information about our Try a Train events
The needs of every group using our Try a Train events are different, but here are some things to think about when planning your journey:
- If trains are disrupted, we may need to change plans or cancel an event at short notice. We understand that this can be unsettling and will keep you informed and do our best to give you as much notice as possible.
- We can only offer Try a Train events at GWR stations.
- Our staff are trained in station and onboard safety and will safeguard your groups where possible. However, our staff cannot act as responsible adults for your groups. We ask that you have a suitable number of leaders per group, so you can meet the safeguarding requirements of your risk assessments.
- We need 2 weeks' notice for any Try a Train Part B (Onboard our trains) event. This is so we can arrange tickets for your group to travel on our services.
- Where possible, we run our sessions on off-peak services, so we can keep your group together and guide you through a more comfortable and quieter journey. We will work with you to find a date and time that suits.
- To get the most out of a Try a Train event, we recommend small groups and no more than 20 people. For larger numbers, we can split the group and our accessibility volunteers will deliver multiple sessions during one visit.
- We will need to book any wheelchair users in advance to secure a space on the train. Depending on the train, we may need to split groups and consider the seating arrangements for your group. We will discuss this with you before your visit while planning your journey.