Three railway stations in East Lancashire are among 38 across the Northern network to now be ‘mobility scooter friendly’.

Burnley Central, Darwen and Nelson help bring the total of stations to more than 160 across 28 routes.

Routes that have been added to the scheme include Blackpool South/Preston – Colne, Rochdale/Manchester Victoria – Blackburn/Clitheroe and Blackburn – Kirkby/Wigan Wallgate, amongst others across Northern’s network.

The free scheme allows mobility scooter users to ride Northern trains without hassle, including larger ticket barriers to allow scooters through, assistance boarding and alighting trains, and specific areas to park scooters on board.

Passengers should obtain a permit from Northern to ensure their scooter meets size and manoeuvrability specifications and registered passengers will receive either a sticker to be placed on their scooter or a card to be carried.

Maxine Myers, accessibility improvement manager at Northern, said: “A total of 28 routes across our network are now scooter friendly - and more will be rolled out in the near future as we continue to make our trains and stations as accessible as possible for our passengers. 

“The scheme has already been very popular, and we want our customers to know that our network can accommodate scooter users to help them get where they need to be. 

“It’s important mobility scooter-users register for the scheme, as some models are not suitable – or safe – to travel on our trains. If they cannot manoeuvre easily within the limited space on-board, they could cause obstructions in the event of an emergency.”

Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, added: “We are committed to giving people with additional mobility needs the confidence to travel by rail. We want to support our customers whenever they need it. 

“The mobility scooter scheme is an example of this commitment and we’ll be looking to deliver improved accessibility across our network as we roll out similar improvements at other stations in the future.”

Application forms for permits can be completed online here and there is also information about eligible mobility scooters.