Taking a double buggy on an LNER train

[NewName2025]

Has anyone taken a double side by side buggy on an LNER train?

I'm doing two solo holidays with DD1 (almost 4yo) and DD2 (almost 1yo) to my parents in Yorkshire due to DH work. We usually manage fine with our Uppababy Vista + buggy board, but I'm worried about DD1 and the long travelling days. We've had some poor behaviour / tantrums lately and I really don't want things to kick off at the station. Will have our stuff in a backpack so carrier for DD2 is probably out.

Choices are -
Buy the second seat for our vista but generally vistas are a bit rubbish in double mode with a preschooler.

Buy a cheapish side by side double for the trip that we can sell on next year when definitely no longer needed.

Contacted LNER and they told me they can't tell me the door width onto the train - only that anything less than 70cm is fine. I think this relates to the door into the seating area for wheelchair purposes. I don't need the buggy unfolded into the seating area - it's more than I want both kids to be strapped in whilst getting on / off the carriage door so they are safe and secure. I can then unload them in the vestibule, get them in our seats and fold down the buggy. Mountain buggy duet is less than 70cm but only up to 18kg and DD1 is pretty much 18kg already. Have been looking at a 2nd hand Out n About or a Joie Estrella which are 72cm wide.

Does anyone have personal experience of using LNER with a double buggy and can tell me which brand / model?

Can you request support getting on/off at the station?

You won’t get it on or off one of the regular doors. And once on, the corridors on those trains are so narrow, they just about takes a single buggy (I do a lot of travelling with mine in a Bugaboo) and on an LNER train recently I had to keep swapping it to different sides depending on what doors were being used when we stopped at various stations.

You will need to go in the accessible carriage and there will be space because they have to have doors big enough to accommodate large electric wheelchairs. The problem is if that space has been booked out by a wheelchair user anywhere along the route. What’s really annoying is you can’t book buggy space and I think it’s unfair there’s designated space for wheelchairs and bikes but not buggies. You’ll have to contact LNER and ask them to come up with a solution.

Some trains are so much easier as all have accessible door space and places for buggies between carriages. the old Virgin (now LNER) are the most difficult to manage with a buggy, there’s a hell of a step to shunt it on, too, if you’re using regular doors.

Thanks - we do lots of journeys with DH and I with the single buggy plus buggy board. Really used to travelling that way. We always book seats in the accessible carriage (and pay for seats for the DC so we all have plenty of space), book the non stop train to York so that if a wheelchair user isn't using the space at York, we don't need to worry about moving halfway through the journey. We have never wheeled our single buggy down the aisles - we get onto the vestibule, unload kids and buggy, fold down buggy. Do the reverse about 15mins out from York. Usually DH carries the backpack and if DD1 is tired, I put DD2 in the carrier and DD1 goes in the buggy for a bit. I won't be able to do this if I'm on my own which is why I'm interested in any personal experiences of travelling with a double.

LNER website also says that they cannot guarantee that wheelchairs wider than 70cm will fit so I don't think it's just a case of going for the accessible carriage? But unhelpfully even the LNER online chat didnt really know. But it's less relevant for me, because I don't need to be in the carriage - I only need to get into the vestibule.

@IKnowAPlace the website says young children isn't a valid reason for booking assistance. DH can help me to Kings Cross but not onto the platform. Often DM can help me at York but York currently has reno works going on so I need a back up in case she can't find anywhere to park and needs to wait with the car for us.

It's sounding like the best thing is to buy the second seat for my vista as at least I know I can get it through the door. It's just a pain, as there are none coming up locally to me second hand so its going to be around £250 🙄

I doubt a double will make life easier - have you tried reins or a backpack with reins on the nearly 4 year old?

Can you look into rental options? Most buggies can be rented so maybe they have the second seat for your Vista without you having to buy new. I agree I don’t think a double buggy will make things any easier.

I don't think a double is going to help you.

What are you taking luggage in?

I've got similar age gap.

Are you confident sling/carrier user?

For me I would take normal pram as your used to it and can fold and unfold confidently. Book the assistance/wider carriage and seats for kids. Get to station with DC1 on buggy board dc 2 in pram luggage on back. Carrier under pram. Take dc 2 out of pram and put kn sling on back. Fold pram. Tell dc1 to hold your hand. Seek conductor on platform and tell them you need help getting the pram on the train. They put pram on into luggage compartment and you carry bag in other hand baby on back and other child in other hand. Get to seats lunload everything and then do it in reverse at other end.

Luggage was going to be in a medium rucksack thing - similar to the pic but i think its 50 or 60L. We don't need loads as have spare clothes at DMs that we can use and I can order bits to her house. Very used to a carrier (although always front carry rather than back - i can practice back carrying). So you think put the backpack into the seat of the pram and push it until we get to the train? We can also investigate backpack with reins for DD1.

I also wonder about whether they would allow DH onto the platform to help me even though he doesn't have a ticket to travel? Are platform tickets still a thing?

You can get a platform ticket so DH can accompany you.

The game changer is travelling First class if you can get a good deal. The staff are extremely helpful, you have food and drink brought to the table, more space and the lounges are a lot cleaner.

Yes!! Always did this when DD1 was a baby. Now it's so expensive that we have been going standard class. We buy a family ticket and we can get adult plus 2 child tickets with seats for around £110 return. Still probably cheaper than buying a second vista seat though! 🤣

Have you got a family railcard?

At the same ages (a while ago now!) for a similar journey I had buggy, sling, wheely bag and cross body nappy bag / handbag.

Ideally baby in buggy, toddler walks holding buggy, push buggy with one hand and pull case with other. Valuables accessible in cross body bag.

If toddler needs to be in the buggy, you can then put baby in the sling (I back carried as harder to push buggy with a front carry), and push buggy with one hand and case with the other.

I fairly quickly moved to no buggy and leaving tons of time to walk at 3yo speed, as it was a lot easier - but I would have been stuck if the older one wouldn’t cooperate.

I would carry the youngest in a sling or carrier and get an umbrella fold single buggy like a McLaren to put the bigger one in. It will be the easiest way to get on and off the train.

The train operating companies I use don't provide assistance for people with child buggies, pushchairs etc, only for people with a disability or impairment.

It looks as though LNER has the same policy.
https://www.lner.co.uk/support/get-in-touch/passenger-assist/

This is my worry. My 3yo can be amazing at travelling and has coped with some horrendous delays (think 3hrs+ stuck on a line where the cable had come down on top of the 2hr journey), but just recently we've had a real spell of challenging behaviour and I worry that a stressful situation like trying to get all of us on the train is exactly the time that she would decide not to cooperate!

I've been meaning to look at back carrying for a while as it looks comfier now DD2 is bigger, so I think will also try a little practice of this.

Does it have to be train? Would coach be any easier?

I use a wheelchair and travel LNER quite regularly.

The ramps and doors are pretty narrow even to the accessible carriage. I have to manoeuvre my big electric wheelchair very carefully on the ramp and then it pretty much needs to turn on the spot to get into the carriage.

I don't think you'd get a double buggy up the ramp and into the space without folding it.

(I had twins)

Thank you - that's super helpful.

Have you got a railcard? I have a family and friends together railcard which allows up to 4 adults and 4 children to travel together, as long as the holder is there with at least 1 child - this makes 1st class much more appealing.

Gawd I couldn’t think of anything worse. It’s a hell if a journey by coach and aside from that, you can’t get up and move about like you can on a train. I’ve filled time on train journeys by walking the length of it with my toddler and getting him to do a litter pick 🤣 I’d lose the will to live trying to keep him confined to a bus seat as it chugged up a motorway for hours.

I don’t drive, though, so staying in a seat for a long stretch is a bit alien to him. Might be different if it’s something they’re used to I guess.

Unfortunately, DD1 gets travel sickness. Worst of all in a car, mostly ok on a train (except for the time she managed to clear a packaged tube carriage on the way home from Kings Cross once), buses are ok for around 30mins. I've not taken her on a coach yet but my suspicion is that it wouldnt be great for her based on our bus experience. For the second trip, she will be 4, so im going to try her on some travel sickness medication but I haven't found any yet suitable for under 4s, which would be the case for the first trip.

Unless you dc has any delays in motor skills, at nearly 4 I would let them walk and ask your dm to pick up a cheap buggy from Argos or second hand for use up there if doing a lot of walking. I think it will be exciting for them and crucially that age is very bribable

I suspect your cheapest option may be to pay for your mum to park in York town centre in a long stay car park and walk over to the station so she is definitely in time to meet your train and you have two adults to help with the getting off.

Seen this a lot as the accessible carriage is usually elderlies and young children.