Articles · Guide · 2026-10-16
Wheelchair users on night trains: accessible compartments by line
Whether you can sleep on a night train in your wheelchair depends almost entirely on the operator. VR in Finland, SJ in Sweden, SJ Norge and Go-Ahead in Norway and ÖBB on many Nightjets have a compartment built for wheelchair users. European Sleeper, Snälltåget and SNCF's Intercités de Nuit say plainly that they cannot take a wheelchair user on board in the chair. Below is what each operator writes about the compartment, the toilet and how far ahead to ask for help, checked 16 October 2026.
Night trains with an accessible compartment
- VR (Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Kolari): VR says on its night trains page that all night trains have accessible sleeper cabins close to the accessible entrance door. The sleeper car page gives the details: two beds, an SOS button, support rails, a wheelchair anchoring point and an automatic cabin door 90 cm wide, with a car door 80 cm wide. The accessible toilet is opposite the cabin, but there is no accessible shower. Some routes run with trains that have no wheelchair space; then you can buy the cabin for the price of the wheelchair space through VR's accessible travel line, 0800 188 822.
- SJ Nattåg (Stockholm to Malmö, Åre, Umeå and Luleå): On its page for travellers with disabilities, SJ says its night trains have a special compartment that is larger and close to the wheelchair lift. You book it by phone on 0771-75 75 75, option 5. The night trains are loco hauled with steps into the coach, and the largest wheelchair allowed is 84 cm long and 67 cm wide, weighing at most 225 kg with the traveller. Mobility scooters are not allowed on the night trains. SJ does not say how many beds the compartment has.
- SJ Norge (Oslo to Trondheim): The assistance page says the night trains have a dedicated sleeper compartment adapted for wheelchairs, which you reserve through customer service. The wheelchair may be at most 70 cm wide and 120 cm long, and 350 kg including the user.
- Go-Ahead (Oslo to Stavanger): Go-Ahead's page on wheelchairs on the train describes a sleeper compartment on the night train adapted for wheelchair users, with a wider door and more room inside for a wheelchair up to 65 cm wide. The accessible toilet is outside the compartment. Its conditions of carriage say wheelchair tickets are booked through kundeservice@go-aheadnordic.no, and that boarding and alighting assistance is free.
- ÖBB Nightjet: On many services ÖBB offers a coach with a barrier-free compartment and an adjoining accessible toilet. The standard version has two beds, for the traveller and a carer. The "comfort" version, the one in the new generation Nightjet, has four beds for up to two travellers with limited mobility, with or without a carer, is shared with other passengers and is reached by a low floor entrance. ÖBB's page on the new generation Nightjet says every new Nightjet has one. Book the compartment and the platform assistance with ÖBB Customer Service at least 36 hours before departure, on +43 5 1717-5 or through the online form.
Night trains without wheelchair access
- European Sleeper (Brussels to Prague, Brussels to Milan, Paris to Berlin): Its accessibility page says the trains do not meet accessibility requirements and that moving on the train with a wheelchair is not possible. A foldable wheelchair can travel as luggage if you email service@europeansleeper.eu, and help from the train staff should be asked for at least one day before departure.
- Snälltåget (Stockholm to Berlin, Malmö to Innsbruck): Its questions and answers say there are no wheelchair spaces on board, the toilets are not adapted, there is no lift and the step up from the platform is about 65 cm. Wheelchairs must be folded and carried as luggage, and electric wheelchairs cannot be used. The travel conditions offer free help with boarding and alighting if you book it with customer service at least 24 hours before departure, on 040-669 62 00.
- SNCF Intercités de Nuit (all lines from Paris Austerlitz and Nantes): SNCF Connect states on the Intercités night train page that these trains are not accessible to wheelchair users. Travellers with visual, hearing or mental disabilities may travel with a companion.
Vy on the Bergen Line
Vy's wheelchair FAQ says you can book a wheelchair space yourself on journeys between the stations where a wheelchair can be loaded: Bergen, Voss, Geilo, Gol, Hønefoss, Asker and Oslo S. For other stations on the line, book at a staffed station or call 61 05 19 10. Vy's page on accessibility on board mentions lifts, straps to secure wheelchairs and accessible toilets on long distance trains. We found nothing from Vy about an accessible sleeping compartment, so ask customer service before you book a Sleeper ticket.
Help at the station
The station is often a separate booking from the train. SJ books its station assistance on the same number as the compartment, at least 24 hours ahead, every day from 8 to 17. In Norway, SJ Norge points to Bane NOR (+47 477 70 098) or Entur (+47 61 27 90 88) and asks for 24 hours' notice. European Sleeper sends you to the railway of each country, such as NS in the Netherlands, DB in Germany and SNCF in France, and reminds you to book both the departure and the arrival station.
Oslo S, where the night trains to Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger start, in our station data:
| Step-free from street to platforms | Yes | Open data, 2026-04-07 |
| Ticket machine | Yes | Open data, 2026-04-07 |
| Toilet at the station | Yes | Open data, 2026-04-07 |
| Waiting room | Yes | Open data, 2026-04-07 |
| Heated waiting room | No | Open data, 2026-04-07 |
| Wheelchair access | Yes | Open data, 2026-04-07 |
32 facts about Oslo S not known yet
| Luggage lockers at the station | Not known yet | |
| Price for a large locker, 24 hours | Not known yet | |
| When the lockers can be reached | Not known yet | |
| Staffed left-luggage desk | Not known yet | |
| Toilets free or paid | Not known yet | |
| Shelter on the platform | Not known yet | |
| Toilet adapted for wheelchair users | Not known yet | |
| Staff present at the station | Not known yet | |
| Wheelchair to borrow at the station | Not known yet | |
| Hearing loop | Not known yet | |
| Lifts and escalators | Not known yet | |
| Lifts and escalators working when last checked | Not known yet | |
| Assistance for disabled travellers | Not known yet | |
| Assistance fee | Not known yet | |
| Assistance hours | Not known yet | |
| Where to meet the assistance staff | Not known yet | |
| Toilet price | Not known yet | |
| Shower at or inside the station | Not known yet | |
| Shower price | Not known yet | |
| When the station building is open | Not known yet | |
| Waiting room at night | Not known yet | |
| Earliest place to buy food or coffee, weekdays | Not known yet | |
| Free wifi in the station | Not known yet | |
| Tip for getting from the train to the exit or onward | Not known yet | |
| Minutes you really need to change trains here | Not known yet | |
| Walk from the night train platform to the exit | Not known yet | |
| How the lockers are paid | Not known yet | |
| Station building locked from | Not known yet | |
| When the waiting room is open | Not known yet | |
| When the shower is open | Not known yet | |
| Lifts: where they are and whether they worked | Not known yet | |
| Onward across the border: walk, bus or train, and how long | Not known yet |
Read more: The night train from Helsinki to Kolari: what you need to know
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