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Has anyone with a wheelchair managed to make Interrail/Eurrail work with trains which require reservations? I have sent a help question to the laughable “help” service but I just get replies about accessibility and not about how to actually use the pass. There is an extra complexity regarding reservations, for example the following: 

Eurostar: When you travel by wheelchair with Eurostar there is a system with a special ticket and then that organises the wheelchair space and the train ramp. They also place wheelchairs in a different class, so if I went onto the app and paid for a reservation in standard class do I then have to contact Eurostar to arrange everything else? I don’t know if my Interrail pass is going to be valid without making a reservation for a seat I won’t be using. 

Thalys does a similar thing, they usually charge a special fare (but they don't organise the ramp) so again, do I have to go on the Interrail pass and add a reservation (and pay for it) and then do something else, or do I just buy a new ticket from Thalys where this is cheaper? 

DB has yet another system where according to the actual rules (which some don’t adhere to, that’s another story!) the reservation has to be made in a ticket office or you can email 20 departments which refer you in a giant circle to the department you already spoke to, and unless you are a German citizen you have to pay for the wheelchair reservation. So I would have to pay for the reservation on the Interrail travel app to validate my ticket and pay for the wheelchair reservation in the office, or is there a way to make my ticket valid when I have bought a reservation at the office?

UK is a similar issue again, wheelchair spaces are reserved via a third party app called Passenger Assist which makes my LNER reservation, so how do I validate my travel and make the app generate a ticket if I have not bought the reservation through the app? 

These are the countries I already know about the issues with, I am likely to run into new and different unknown issues in each country, and sometimes the issues are very hard to sort out when you are not already in the country you are going to. DB could not seem to grasp how I would need to sort out an issue with a Brussels to Koln ticket as part of a journey from Edinburgh to Wuppertal without being able to just pop into my local DB office…

Has anyone done this and know how to generate tickets when your reservation isn’t as straightforward as “put me in a seat”? 

Reservations are not bought through the interrail app in any circumstance, nor are they linked to the app.

For non reservation compulsory trains such as UK or Germany all you need do with app is add the train to your pass.

The wheelchair space booking/boarding assistance is separate to this.

Buying reservations for seats you aren’t going to use in order to then book a wheelchair space sounds wrong so unless instructed by an operator I would assume it is not the correct procedure.

As Interrail is a valid ticket then it should be enough to use whatever procedures the individual operators have for wheelchair bookings.

Rules and procedures about assistence vary from country to country, and from operator to operator. What is your exact route and when do you want to travel? Than we can help you get in touch with the right services to get you an adequate place on the trains. 

As @Al_G says. The reservation are completely separate from the app with your pass. The app with your pass is your ticket. You shouldn't buy any additional tickets.

What you need to to is to buy seat reservations. You need those for all trains with mandatory reservations and maybe also for trains with optional reservation in order to secure a space for your wheelchair. The seat reservations have a fee (apart from the UK if I remember correctly)

 

 

Oh thanks everyone, the way it looked in the website is that I made the reservation through Interrail. That's easier then. 

 

What is your exact route and when do you want to travel? 

It's planned to be a flexible trip. I'm buying the pass instead of having to commit to specific trains months ahead in order to get advance fares. For most of the routes that would be much cheaper, but it spoils the trip when you're stuck in a boring place for hours or have to rush away from somewhere you find unexpectedly lovely. I'll be trying to book assistance just a few days ahead and if it doesn't work out my friend will lift me! 

Side issue, apparently my assistant can get a free pass to travel with me by contacting customer service. Oh I've tried! How does one actually contact them rather than input their email address into a bot and hear nothing? 

 

Cheers

The Contact Form to reach Customer Service https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001

The Contact Form to reach Customer Service https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001

Wow great, thanks. I spent ages going up and down help and contact and just kept ending up at the chatbot. 

@RoseRodentNo worries, and it will be mostly possible. But the situation is sometimes so different from countries to countries, even train to train.There’s no need to book ages in advance. I just thought of collecting some websites and phone numbers for you on your route that you have (roughly) in mind. Always handy to have an overview :)

For Belgium for instance, you need to reserve at least 1 day or 3 hours if you need assistance (depending on the station). All information can be found here: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/travel-info/prepare-for-your-journey/assistance-reduced-mobility

If you click on the link in the page linked below you will find information about how to get assistance in all different countries that are part of Interrail. This refers to assistance at the train stations.

 

https://www.interrail.eu/en/support/interested-in-interrailing/travelling-with-a-caregiver

 

 

 

 

 

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