Glasgow Central
Station
Guide
Information for older and
disabled passengers.
Including
accessible
facilities and
passenger
assistance
services.
Contents
Introduction 04
Station overview 05
Who does what at our station 05
Station operating hours 05
Train operators at our station 06
Station access 07
Step-free access 07
Step-free access to platforms 08
Step-free classification 09
Tactile paving/panels 09
Arriving by car 10
Parking 10
Taxis 11
Buying a ticket 12
Ticket oce opening hours 12
Other destinations 12
Ticket booths 13
Ticket machines 13
Passenger Assistance 14
Passenger Assistance at our station 14
Accessing Passenger Assist services 16
Booking in advance 16
Turn up and go 18
Where to go when you arrive 19
at the station
Replacement transport 20
Interchanging 21
Bus information 22
Using the station at busier times 23
If things don’t go as planned 24
Booked assistance failures 24
Planned or unplanned disruption 24
Station facilities 26
Seating 26
Toilets 27
Changing places 28
Baby changing facilities 28
Showers 29
Left luggage 30
Information points 31
Hearing loops 31
Customer information screens 32
Catering and retail 33
Getting in touch 34
If things go wrong 34
On the day of travel 35
How to escalate a complaint 36
How to contact train operators 37
Further information 38
About this guide 38
Our ATP 38
Working with train operators 38
More detailed accessibility information 39
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Introduction
Welcome to Glasgow Central station.
This leaflet sets out:
• The help that is available at the station
for older and disabled passengers
and how to get it.
• The facilities available in and around
the station.
We work in collaboration with all relevant
parties, including our train operators, to meet
the standards outlined in this guide and
commit to continuously improve our services
and facilities for older and disabled passengers.
Station overview
Who does what at our station
Network Rail manages the station, provides
assistance to passengers and maintains
facilities including toilets and accessible
features such as Changing Places, lifts and
escalators.
Our train operators sell tickets to passengers
and provide the train services.
Station operating hours
Day Time
Monday – Saturday 04:00 – 00:30
Sunday 07:00 – 00:30
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Train operators at our station are:
• ScotRail: Operating services across
Scotland and down to Newcastle
• Caledonian Sleeper: Operating an
overnight service running between
Scotland and London
• Avanti West Coast: Operating intercity
and other long-distance passenger
trains across Great Britain
• Cross Country: Operating intercity
and other long-distance passenger
trains across Great Britain
• TransPennine Express: Operating
regional and inter-city rail services
between the major cities and towns
of Northern England and Scotland
• LNER: Operating passenger services
from Glasgow along the East Coast
Main Line to London Kings Cross
via Edinburgh/Newcastle
Station access
Step-free access
Step-free access to the main station
is via:
• Gordon Street
Provides access to the main concourse
and to platforms 1 – 15.
• Hope Street
Provides access to the main concourse,
platforms 1 -15, and the accessible entrance
to the VOCO Grand Central Hotel.
Step-free access to the lower level
concourse is via:
• Hope Street
Provides access to the low-level station ticket
concourse for lift access to platforms 1 – 15
above or 16 and 17 below.
• Argyle Street
Provides access to the low-level station
concourse for lift access to platforms
1 – 15 above and to 16 and 17 below
(stepped access also available).
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Step-free access to platforms
Platforms 1-15
There is step-free access to the platforms from the
main concourse and step-free access via lift from
the lower concourse and platform 16 and 17.
Platforms 16-17
There is step-free access from the main
concourse via the escalator which is located
under the bronze archway near the gate line to
platforms 11-15.
The step-free route from the lower-level
concourse uses the lift to the level-1 link
corridor. There is then a separate lift from the
link corridor to the platforms.
Note: We do recommend that wheelchair users
and others who are unfamiliar with the station
seek assistance from a member of our team.
Step-free classification
Under the industry step-free classification
system, Glasgow Central is a Category A station,
meaning that the station has step-free access
to and between all platforms, at all times trains
are running, via level access, lifts or ramps
(in accordance with new-build standards
re: gradient/length).
Tactile paving/panels
Tactile paving/panels are used to help
passengers with visual impairments to detect
the platform edges at our stations. These are
comprised of bumps that are detectable with
a walking cane, by guide dogs and/or felt
underfoot.
All of our platforms at Glasgow Central are
fitted with tactile paving/panels.
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Arriving by car
The pick-up and drop-o point is located on
Gordon Street, between Hope Street and
Union Street.
Please note that most roads in the area are
one-way, including Hope Street (northbound
only) and Union Street (southbound only).
Parking
The station has a multi-storey car park
operated by NCP on Oswald Street, with its
entrance on Midland Street.
There are four Blue Badge designated
parking bays with dimensions of 240cm x
430cm and these are located on level 5 of
the car park.
There is direct step-free access between the
car park and the station to/from level 5 of the
car park only.
There are no low-level payment kiosks
located within the car park, but sta will be
able to assist if required.
For all information relating to payment
charges, please visit: www.ncp.co.uk
Taxis
We have an accessible taxi rank located on
Gordon Street, opposite the station entrance.
The taxi rank is 40m (43yd 2ft) from the
Gordon Street entrance.
Please be advised that not all taxi companies
have wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Operators who may accept bookings include:
Glasgow Taxis: 0141 429 7070
All or some of the vehicles used by this operator
are understood to be wheelchair accessible,
but we recommend that you call to check
availability and suitability before travelling.
Pacific Cars Ltd: 0141 429 4040
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Buying a ticket
Our travel centre and ticket oces are located
by the Gordon Street entrance on the right-
hand side as you enter the station.
Ticket oce opening hours
Avanti West Coast operate the travel centre
and Scotrail operate the ticket oce, which is
open as follows:
Day Time
Monday – Saturday 06:00 – 23:25
Sunday 07:00 – 23:05
The ticket oce counter is approximately
30m from the Gordon Street entrance and
clear signage for the counter is visible from
the entrance. There is step-free unobstructed
access to the counter and the height of the
counter is 84cm, however please note there
is not a lowered section of the counter.
Other destinations
The travel centre is located beside the ticket
oce and is open:
Day Time
Monday – Saturday 05:30 – 21:30
Sunday 09:15 – 21:30
The ticket oce counter is located immediately
to the left as you enter the Tickets and Travel
Centre and is approximately 5m from the
Tickets and Travel Centre entrance. There
is step-free access to the counter and the
height of the counter is 100cm, but please
note however, there is not a lowered section
of the counter or a hearing assistance system.
Ticket booths
There are various ticket booths around the
station selling tickets for all train companies
and these are located at:
• Platforms 5 – 6.
• Platforms 9 – 10.
• Platforms 11 – 15.
Ticket machines
There are various machines around the
station selling tickets for all train companies
and these are run by Scotrail. They are
located at:
• Avanti Travel Centre
• Scotrail Booking Oce
• Opposite Costa Coee
• Platform 13
• Lower-level concourse.
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Passenger Assistance
Passenger Assistance at our station
We oer assistance to older and disabled
passengers who need help accessing our
facilities and train services.
Our Passenger Assistance team have access to
wheelchairs and Passenger Assistance vehicles
to help us assist you in and around the station.
Note:
Wheelchairs are not available for passenger
use without the help of one of our team.
What services are included?
Our Passenger Assistance team can aid with:
• Oering a helping hand to the station.
• Support when boarding, finding a seat,
or alighting the train.
• Meeting you from your train and taking
you to your next train or the exit.
• Arranging a ramp to assist you on or o
your train.
• Assistance relating to a non-visible
disability.
• Advising on the accessibility of other
stations across the network for your
onward journey.
• Carrying your bag(s) – up to three items
of luggage as per the National Rail
Conditions of Travel.
Distances from the concourse to trains can
be lengthy at Glasgow Central so to assist
you in a timely and safe manner we would
request our passengers to arrive in good time;
we recommend arriving 30 minutes prior to
departure.
When arriving at the station by train where it
is the terminating stop for the train, our aim is
to meet you on time. Sometimes it may take
us a little longer because we often assist more
than one passenger per train, but we have a
service commitment to not exceed 5 minutes
from arrival and 10 minutes during disruption.
If you arrive at the station much earlier
than your planned departure time, you may
have to wait for assistance sta to become
available.
Glasgow Central is one of the busiest stations
in the country for Passenger Assistance
bookings. Because our station is so busy,
we do recommend that you book in advance
wherever possible.
Pre-booked assistance can be booked up to 2
hours in advance of travel.
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Accessing Passenger Assist services
Assistance for any journey, including journeys
with multiple connections using multiple train
companies, can be booked in advance, or can
be requested on the day from a member
of sta.
Booking in advance
There are several ways you can book
assistance in advance:
1. Contact the relevant train operator
for your journey via their website.
2. Transreport Passenger
Assistance App
You will be able to download
the app by searching for
“Passenger Assistance” on
your app store (iOS/Android).
Once found, click ‘Install’ and
wait for the app to appear.
Send your request to book
assistance on the app and
this will be sent directly to
the train operator, who will
arrange assistance for you.
We will tell you when your
booking is confirmed. Then,
all you have to do is book
your ticket and you’re on
your way.
3. Visit the National Rail Enquiries website.
4. Follow the instructions provided via any
other train booking service provider.
On the day you can request assistance from
any of our team or go directly to our assisted
travel lounge where one our team will help
arrange assistance with you.
Tell us about your journey
The booking agent will need to know the
following information, so it may be useful
to have this to hand when you call:
• The date and time of the service you
are planning to travel on.
• Your seat reservation details (if you
have one).
• If you are travelling with other people,
especially if they also require assistance,
at Glasgow our assistance vehicles can
only seat three people each.
• If you have any requests such as a
preference to being assisted on foot
rather than in a buggy, please make
this clear to the booking agent.
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‘Turn up and go’
As well as booking in advance, you can
ask for assistance on the day that you are
travelling (we call this ‘turn up and go’).
Assistance services are available at all times
the station is open. You may need to wait
until sta are available to help, but our
policy is to make it happen.
You can ask any member of sta at the
station or go to our mobility point at the
times it is open.
Where to go when you arrive at
the station
We have a mobility point located on the main
concourse opposite Boots and M&S.
You can also request support from any of
our Customer Service team; note we have a
dedicated team who support the delivery of
assistance to our customers.
Our team can be
identified by their blue
tabards which have a
purple section on the
back and any member
of the railway team
can assist you to our
dedicated mobility
point.
18 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 19
Opening hours:
Day Time
Monday – Saturday 07:00 – 23:00
Sunday 08:00 – 23:00
Our station reception can help you which is
open from 0700 - 1700:
• check-in for assistance you have
previously booked
• make a ‘turn up and go’ request for
assistance for those who have not booked
Outside of these times, passenger assistance
services are still available, by speaking to a
member of sta on the concourse.
Replacement transport
In some circumstances, alternative accessible
transport might be oered during planned
works or times of disruption.
We will work with your train operator to help
you make your journey, this may include the
train operator arranging alternative accessible
transport where appropriate.
Interchanging
This section explains how you can change
from one mode of transport to another and
how to navigate within the station.
Please note that we can only provide
assistance on the station premises to/from
Glasgow Central, taxi rank and bus station.
Glasgow Queen Street Station is located 0.3
miles and Buchanan Bus Station is located
0.7 miles away from Glasgow Central. These
journeys can be made at street level.
The nearest subway station is St Enoch which
is located about 300m from the nearest station
entrance on Argyle Street and this station
along with Govan Subway are the only stations
that have lift access.
We do however regret we cannot assist
passengers between these locations.
20 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 21
Bus information
The bus stops are located on Hope Street,
Union Street, Argyle Street and Waterloo Street,
with step-free access directly from the station.
Route 398 provides a circular route connecting
Glasgow Central with Glasgow Queen Street
Station and Buchanan Bus Station as well as
routes connecting with the airport (Glasgow
airport express 500) operate from Waterloo
Street, o Hope Street.
We are able to assist passengers to bus stops
as required.
For more information on planning journeys,
timetables and service updates please visit:
www.travelinescotland.com
Using the station at busier times
Glasgow Central is one of Scotland’s busiest
stations and as one of Scotland’s main travel
hubs, there are times when the station can
be extremely busy, particularly when there is
an event going on in the city such as rugby or
football etc.
Our stations team do all they can to eectively
manage the passenger flows, but it can be an
overwhelming and challenging environment for
some to navigate.
O-peak times are when the station is least
busy – these are normally during the week after
09:30 in the morning and 19:00 in the evening.
If you require assistance to travel through
the station during busier times our team are
available to assist.
Please contact a member of the team
throughout the concourse or go directly to
the mobility point, where our team will provide
you with the required assistance.
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If things do not go
as planned
Booked assistance failures
Where your booked assistance has not been
provided or does not go as confirmed by the
operator, passengers can submit a claim
for redress to the operator of the train they
were travelling on, or due to travel on, when
the failure took place. We will provide you
information as required to help you.
Planned or unplanned disruption
We will tell you about disruption to services
by displaying information on our customer
information screens and making audio
announcements throughout the station.
If you have booked and/or require assistance
during times of disruption we would ask that
you make yourself known to one of our station
colleagues at the assisted travel lounge or
the Passenger Assist meeting point who will
support you by providing information on your
booked service, and will assist with your onward
journey including rearranging assistance as
necessary.
All information during disruption will be
communicated to you including regular delay
updates to help you decide on your travel
preferences and if required, how to access
suitable alternative transport options.
We will provide access and information on how
to claim compensation when you are delayed.
Prior to any long-term refurbishments
at our stations we will consult user groups
and stakeholders.
We will notify you of any short or long-term
refurbishments on our website and National
Rail Enquiries to help you plan your journey in
advance and when you are in our stations we
will provide information prior to and during
these refurbishment activities.
We will also keep passengers up to date via our
social media platforms:
@NetworkRailSCOT on Twitter.
24 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 25
Station facilities
Seating
Seating is located throughout the station with
availability on our main concourse as well as
all of the platforms.
In addition to this, seating is also available at
our mobility assist point.
Toilets
Our accessible toilets can be found:
• inside the Gordon Street entrance and
can be accessed via the intercom
• opposite ticket gates at the entrance to
platforms 7 and 8, and can be accessed
using a Radar key.
If you don’t have a Radar key of your own,
please speak to a member of station sta
or one of our cleaning team who will open
for you.
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Changing Places
Is located near platform 8 next to Costa
Coee.
Baby changing facilities
Can be found located at both the Gordon
Street and Union Street entrances.
Showers
Showers are located within the toilets,
downstairs by the Union Street entrance
and cost £5.
Please note there is not step-free access to
the baby changing facility located at the
Union street entrance or the shower facilities
and there are 25 steps down to these
facilities.
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Left luggage
Our left luggage facility is located next to
platform 1, on the left of the main concourse
looking towards the main gateline, between
Burger King and the Customer Lounge.
The counter is approximately 80m (87yd 1ft)
from the Gordon Street entrance and has
step-free access to the counter.
There are no windows, TVs, glazed screens
or mirrors behind the counter which could
adversely aect the ability of someone to
lip read and there is not a lowered section of
counter or hearing assistance available. Our
station team will be more than happy to oer
any assistance required.
You can pre-book storage for your heavy,
awkward, or high-value luggage items.
For more information, please visit
www.left-baggage.co.uk or call
020 8090 0030
Opening hours
Our opening hours are:
Time Price
Monday to Wednesday 08:00 – 21:00
Thursday to Sunday 08:00 – 23:00
Information points
We have an information point located at the
ticket gates between platforms 5 – 6 which is
operated by ScotRail. Please be advised that
there is no low-level desk available at this
location.
Hearing loops
We have hearing loops located
on the concourse near our
main seating area.
30 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 31
Customer information screens
We have various customer information
screens across the station that provide
train information, including train times
and platform numbers.
We also provide audio announcements
for all our train services and other customer
related information.
Catering and retail
As our retail oering can change regularly,
please visit our station website page for up
to date information or ask for a station
map at the station.
More detailed accessibility information
Our website station pages contain all the
information on Glasgow Central station, visit
Glasgow Central – Facilities, Shops and
Parking Information
32 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 33
Getting in touch
If things go wrong
We value and welcome your feedback,
so please share your experience with us.
You can do so in the following ways:
At our managed stations: Employees are
trained to help you if you have any questions.
Speak to any Network Rail member of sta
at one of our managed stations and they will
attempt to resolve your query.
National Helpline: 03457 11 41 41, open
24 hours a day, seven days a week including
bank holidays. If the query can’t be resolved
immediately, we will log your feedback and
look into the matter.
Online: www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus
where you can submit a station complaint
form.
You can access frequently asked questions or
choose to provide feedback to Network Rail
from this link, which is also where you will find
our online contact form.
Live chat: Our live chat is available from
Day Time
Monday – Friday 07:00 – 21:00
Saturday – Sunday 08:00 – 20:00
www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus.
Twitter: @NetworkRail, we respond to as
many queries as we can on Twitter or will help
you to log an issue for us to look in to.
Post: We have regional community relations
teams. If action is required, our central team
will pass your query or feedback to the team
that works in your area. You can write to us at:
Network Rail
1 Eversholt Street
London
NW1 2DN
On the day of travel
If you have any questions about your journey
prior to accessing the station, please contact
the Train Operator you booked assistance with.
Alternatively you can contact the National
Passenger Assist team on 0800 022 3720
who will direct you to the correct person.
You can follow us on Twitter for updates about
the station - @NetworkRailSCOT.
Whilst our Twitter account can oer useful
information, it isn’t monitored 24 hours a day
so for urgent advice we would advise you to
contact our National Helpline on 03457 11 41
41. We will aim to respond to any messages on
Twitter as soon as possible.
34 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 35
And we recommend during disruption to
engage with your train operator and keep up
to date with their social media activity
on Twitter.
ScotRail: @ScotRail
Caledonian Sleeper: @CalSleeper
LNER: @LNER
Avanti West Coast: @AvantiWestCoast
Cross Country: @CrossCountryUK
Trans Pennine Express: @TPEassist
During disruptive events, our Customer
Service Team will be out and about in the
station to provide assistance or you can
request assistance at our mobility point
located on the main concourse opposite
Boots and M&S.
How to escalate a complaint
If you are unhappy with how Network Rail or
a train operator has dealt with your complaint
you can contact the Rail Ombudsman, which is
an independent organisation set up to resolve
complaints about the rail industry.
Telephone: 0330 094 0362
Textphone: 0330 094 0363
Email: inf[email protected]g
Twitter: @RailOmbudsman
Website: www.railombudsman.org
Post: FREEPOST – RAIL OMBUDSMAN
How to contact train operators
• ScotRail: Operating services across
Scotland and down to Newcastle
• Caledonian Sleeper: Operating an
overnight service running between
Scotland and London
• Avanti West Coast: Operating intercity
and other long-distance passenger
trains across Great Britain
• Cross Country: Operating intercity
and other long-distance passenger
trains across Great Britain
• TransPennine Express: Operating
regional and inter-city rail services
between the major cities and towns
of Northern England and Scotland
• LNER: Operating passenger services
from Glasgow along the East Coast
Main Line to London Kings Cross
via Edinburgh/Newcastle
36 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 37
Further information
About this guide
You will find a copy of this guide on our
website. The guide is also available in
alternative formats including large print,
audio version and text only versions.
Our Accessible Travel Policy
Our policy document sets out the commitments
Network Rail has made, to ensure older and
disabled passengers can use our stations
and facilities.
You can find this on our website, or by
contacting us using the details in the
contact us section.
Working with train operators
As part of our commitment to provide high
quality assistance to our passengers we
engage regularly with our train operators
to review, monitor, and improve our service
provision.
More detailed accessibility information
We had an independent accessibility audit
carried out in Glasgow Central during
December 2021 and an in depth guide created
which you can access by visiting
www.accessable.co.uk/organisations/
network-rail-scotland
National Freephone Passenger Assist
Telephone: 0800 022 3720
Textphone/minicom: 0845 60 50 600
Textphone Free SMS Passenger Assist
Forwarding Service: 60083 – text your
requested journey from your phone and
you will receive an instant message with
the number you need to dial from your
textphone unit.
www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/
travel-assistance/
38 | Glasgow Central Station Guide | 39
