My "Dear John" letter to c2c

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Dear John, er, dear c2c,

Our love was still young. I had never used you before, but I thought our love could blossom into a long-term relationship. I had heard you were reliable and one of the better train operators in the country. When I worked in the railway industry, we always joked that if you wanted an easy life, you could go to c2c. Only two types of rolling stock, a fraction of stations compared to other train operators, and most stations accessible. An operational dream!

I underestimated the struggles you face on a day-to-day basis. Today, I added to your burdens. I turned up at one of your stations, as a wheelchair user, hoping to travel to Lakeside Shopping Centre. There was a store opening today. You know, I like Korean skincare; there is a new shop, but I digress. I had booked this journey days in advance, because I really wanted to be there and I had never used you, but when I arrived, nobody knew I was coming.

I read your emails. I received the booking information, then an email last night at 9pm telling me that one of your lifts at Chafford Hundred, that is the station next to the shopping centre, was out of service. That was all the information you gave me.

There was no phone number; you don’t use WhatsApp like your brother Southeastern. Yet, I had no idea what you were trying to tell me. I don’t know you well, and I don’t know this station.

You are really difficult to reach, c2c. Weekdays till 8pm. And Saturdays only before 4pm. That’s a bit surprising for a train operator that goes *check notes* to the beach.

You simply told me there was a broken lift and that I couldn’t travel to this station. No suggestion that you could book a taxi as stated in your Accessible Travel Policy. It was all a bit alienating.

So, I sent you an email asking you to call me when your call centre reopened the next morning. I wanted to travel at 11am, and by about 0830am, you called me.

You told me I could not reach the shopping centre without a taxi because the exit had a broken lift and there was no other way to get there. I can only guess, but most of the Chafford Hundred passengers want to go to this shopping centre.

You are not the best communicator, c2c, which makes our love quite difficult. So, I asked you to book a taxi for me pretending that was what you were trying to say in your email. You suggested going to Grays or some other place I had never heard of. You offered no plan for how to travel from there. c2c, I like trains, but I always book train journeys to get to a specific destination, not just to sit on the train. So just changing my destination is not really doing your job. So I insisted on a taxi.

When I arrived at West Ham to travel to Chafford Hundred, nobody was there, and it wasn’t clear to me whether on-board staff or station staff would assist me. There was no sign showing where to position myself or anything. So, I positioned myself in the middle of the platform next to the ramp and waited for the train, hoping someone would come, put the ramp on the train and let me travel. I know that your sister SWR is using on-board staff for assistance sometimes, or your troubled cousin East Midlands Rail.

A minute before the train arrived, someone came and told me I couldn’t take the train because he didn’t see me on time. “What do you mean?” I asked him. I had booked this journey. Well, he said, c2c wasn’t expecting me. That was hurtful to hear.

It was disappointing, c2c. It was the first serious bump on the road of love after I became sceptical the night before, already, about whether you were really a good companion.

I explained that I’d booked days in advance and had conversations with you via email and phone, but none of that seemed to trigger any action. Then the train was gone. You told me I couldn’t travel and had to take the next train half an hour later.

Then you had more bad news. Your staff member returned and said I couldn’t take the next train either unless I agreed to go to Grays instead of Chafford Hundred because Chafford Hundred was unreachable by phone.

How is this possible? I asked him. There’s a handover protocol and dedicated phone numbers for assistance. All mandatory requirements for the love on tracks required by your regulator parents, the ORR.

He had no answer. So, reluctantly, I agreed to go to Grays with only a vague idea how I’d continue my journey onwards to the shopping centre.

I’ve never been to Grays. So there I sat on this train with no idea how my journey would end. While on the ramp, I asked the staff member to keep trying to call Chafford Hundred, as maybe they’d pick up eventually or try via their control room - someone must have a mobile phone.

He said it wasn’t possible because once aboard they must confirm my destination. That was the second bump in our road of love, c2c. You are quite inflexible, even when you caused the issue in the first place.

This is absolutely possible, I insisted. They can pull me off the train if West Ham manages to reach them.

Indeed, it happened as such: while sitting in your very tight wheelchair space with hardly any room for my wheelchair itself, we arrived at Chafford Hundred, and someone came along with a ramp. I wasn’t sure if the ramp was for me or if I was just very lucky because a child in a wheelchair boarded.

Saying nothing, I left the train using the ramp, but where was my taxi? There was no taxi waiting; nobody had organised anything for me. I thought you were not very caring for a new love.

So again at Chafford Hundred station, I was talking with staff members who apologised, saying they had problems with their telephone system. We all have this experience of people not texting back or letting the call go unanswered on the voicemail. I felt ghosted. That is our love, c2c. So staff promised to call a cab company for me.

I got lucky as they managed to find a wheelchair-accessible taxi even though it wasn’t pre-booked. Off we went towards Lakeside Shopping Centre, and the taxi driver even said unprompted how lucky I was to get an accessible taxi at all, because it is normally impossible in this area. He was passing through on his way to London. It was a black cab. I was still unsure how I’d get back as nothing was arranged for my return journey despite booking it. Do you see your comms issues, c2c?

In the afternoon, a phone call came from a woman asking why I was so unhappy. Bad news travels faster than I do by rail, that’s for sure. After explaining everything, the woman kindly promised to ensure smooth travel back without issues - a short cab ride, pickup at the main entrance of Primark. And a text message.

We agreed that she would book the taxi for 5pm - and guess what? Your unreliability struck again: no taxi showed up and no text message! Waiting fifteen minutes more convinced me: I can’t trust you anymore! You seem totally overwhelmed by the fact that wheelchair users want to travel with you. Booked. I have no idea how you would manage with Turn up and Go with no chat.

So that’s when our paths diverged; I decided instead on taking the Dartford Crossing bus via Greenhithe, knowing buses went there from Lakeside once an hour.

So I contacted your brother Southeastern, checking if the Greenhithe lift was working again. Every time I wanted to travel in the past weeks, this lift was out of service as well. It seems this broken lift disease runs in the family.

Nevertheless, I went via the Dartford Crossing and switched onto another bus to reach Dartford Station. Their lifts worked!

When I arrived home, I ultimately concluded that parting ways is best for both of us. Your unreliability was too much; you are so difficult to reach, and I felt very much like a burden to you. Maybe Greenhithe is the better route to get to Lakeside anyway. Maybe you could put a good word in for me with your brother Southeastern to fix this lift?

But I have some serious questions for you, also for your parents, the ORR: Why isn’t your call centre staffed post-8pm or 4pm on weekends? I thought operational licenses required all operators to provide round-the-clock service for disabled passengers years ago. Were exemptions granted, or are you slipping under the radar unnoticed because you are so small?

Seriously curious since I’m noticing discrepancies! How does turn-up-and-go work then? And your whole taxi policy in your Accessible Travel Policy looks really good on paper but not so much in reality.

And I have another question: The government is talking about growth. Economy and stuff. I’ll tell you a secret, c2c: I wanted to go to Lakeside to spend money. VAT included. And I do so very often when I leave the house. Are you not supporting this? You are a nationalised train operator. As is your brother, Southeastern. And then there is your difficult uncle, Network Rail, normally responsible for the lift repairs. Neither at Bluewater nor Lakeside (both big shopping centres near London) are the lifts at the stations currently working. We have 16.8 million disabled people in the country plus parents with buggies, older people, etc. So how should that work then? The growth thing. Don’t make it more difficult for disabled and older people just to leave the house. You need to take part in it as well, c2c. Your whole railway family should. Not just me. No lift access, no VAT, no revenue.

c2c, I understand you are a small operator. That should have made things easier with us two, but you made everything harder instead. You cost me a lot of time. I missed my Zumba class. You ruined my Friday evening. Not great, is it?

Maybe one day, when you’ve fixed your lifts, sorted your phones, and remembered I exist before I turn up at the station, we could try again. Until then, c2c, I’m afraid this is a goodbye. Not because I wanted it to end this way, but because you never gave me a reason to enjoy the journey.

Yours, once hopeful,
Christiane

• UK’s aviation regulator published its annual Airport Accessibility Report for 2025/26, which assesses the quality of assistance services provided to disabled passengers at the UK’s largest airports. Not a single airport was rated as “needs improvement”. That makes the whole report very questionable. E.g. the CAA writes in the report: “London Heathrow has been rated ‘Good’, an improvement from its ‘Needs Improvement’ rating last year, following improvements in the data robustness over the course of the year and in the timeliness of the provision of assistance. However, since February it has faced some operational challenges which has led to a notable decline in performance since March. (…) The CAA will continue to closely monitor performance and expects further improvements as recovery plans are implemented.” So what is it? Good or needs improvement? I know what I would go for. It simply doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground.

• Aviation bill will improve access to air travel, but there is far more to do, say campaigning disabled peers.

• Tower Gateway DLR station is to get a second lift and entrance as part of a deal with a property developer building a hotel and recently completed new flats next to the station, reports IanVisits.

Newcastle’s Metro is shockingly well accessible.

• Transport for Manchester is searching for a DriveSafe Senior Business Support Officer with British Sign Language.

• Apple is searching for an Accessibility Project Manager (Early Career) in London.

• Amazon is hiring a Principal Accessibility Specialist, Amazon Experiences and Upskilling.

• Don’t ask us to overcome barriers; remove them - brilliant text applicable everywhere.

• “Next time you look at a disabled person and think we might be lazy or slow, stop and consider the unpaid labour in the background that we have to complete to survive.” Great text by Jamie Hale.

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I’m Christiane Link, and I improve the customer experience in aviation, transport, and travel. I worked as a journalist for over two decades and travelled extensively for business and leisure. I’m a wheelchair user.

Whether you're a Customer Service Director, a Head of Customer Experience, a corporate Accessibility Manager, a DEI leader, a transport planner, or a member of a disabled employee resource group, I can help you make your organisation more inclusive. You can book me for speaking engagements or hire me as a consultant for your accessibility or DEI strategy, communications advice and other related matters. I have worked for airlines, airports, train operators, public transport providers, and companies in other sectors.

If you want to read more from me, follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Bluesky or Mastodon. You can also reply to this email if you want to contact me.

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