Passenger assistance during train problems?

[Kumquat]

Please move this question if it's better placed elsewhere on the forum. I've read the Passenger Assistance guides.

I've never booked Assisted Travel, because when all goes smoothly I don't need it. I can walk slowly and climb some steps and find my reserved seat on a train just fine. What I can't do, however, is stand for more than a couple minutes without excruciating pain.
Which is a problem when trains mess up.

Eg if no reservations exist, I have to hope I can get to a seat in time, or sit on the floor, as staff say they can't help. Or, when several trains were cancelled but mine was still listed at StP, I got through the barriers only to be corralled and not allowed near my train with my reserved seat, because the train was already jam-packed with passengers from earlier. There was only one staff member trying to organise a thousand people, who said there was no way to get me to a seat on a platform, and I'd just have to fight my way to the next train and hope - so I sat on the floor for 20 min, then had to jostle through crowds onto a train when one arrived. Cue pain for the whole weekend.

Given my journeys London-Sheffield (usually on Friday evenings) seem cursed, I'm thinking I should book assistance just in case, but I don't know what box to tick (Help to seat?), nor how to find the assistance, especially when KX or StP are in chaos. I do now have the Passenger Assistance app set up - is it reasonable to book assistance then cancel if there's no problem? And will they be able to help me nab an unreserved seat if I haven't been able to book one? I've learnt the hard way that "Reservations on this train are not available at this time" means "all reservable seats are gone, good luck legging it as soon as the platform is announced!"

Any tips appreciated - I'm also deaf so calling the assistance line isn't an option.

 

[dciuk]

Not my area of expertise, but as no one else has answered yet, I would suggest contacting the train company and asking them. You mention that calling them is not an option, but can you email them or message them directly from their website or app. I presume under the disability act they will have some way to allow someone who is deaf to contact them. Failing all of that just book the assistance anyway. At least then they have no excuse for not providing it when the train service is not running smoothly. It is possible someone with more knowledge than myself will be along to give better guidence

 

[Kumquat]

Not my area of expertise, but as no one else has answered yet, I would suggest contacting the train company and asking them. You mention that calling them is not an option, but can you email them or message them directly from their website or app. I presume under the disability act they will have some way to allow someone who is deaf to contact them. Failing all of that just book the assistance anyway. At least then they have no excuse for not providing it when the train service is not running smoothly. It is possible someone with more knowledge than myself will be along to give better guidence

Thank you. I think I will book assistance next time I try to go to Sheffield - only one of the last 6 trips got me there on time, and that was only because I ignored staff saying 'don't get on this train if you don't have a reservation' in favour of trusting the lads going 'there's never any reservations on this train, come on, just find a seat'!

I'll report back on how it goes.