Overview
- The operator has changed its rules so passengers with qualifying, smaller mobility scooters may now use Class 158 trains, meaning scooter users can travel on every train type in Northern’s fleet.
- Northern says the decision followed consultation with passengers and staff, hands-on testing of different scooter models, and safety reassessments at over 150 stations to check manoeuvrability in narrow vestibules.
- Existing permit holders who meet the size requirements are being contacted and will receive new permits that identify scooter models approved for safe use on Class 158s.
- More than 3,000 free permits already cover roughly 330 scooter models and allow travel from 262 stations, with conductors available on services to help passengers board and secure scooters.
- Northern frames this change as part of a wider accessibility drive that includes plans to buy up to 450 new trains in three phases, with contracts aimed by early 2027 and first deliveries expected from 2030 to improve level boarding.