A British wheelchair user who had arranged assistance to leave the Eurostar in Brussels was carried on to Rotterdam after staff at the Belgian station did not meet him, the passenger told the Daily Mail.
Orlando Cardozo, 24, said he had requested help to disembark in Brussels but that no one arrived when the train stopped. He walked through the carriage to find a ticket collector and asked for a ramp, he said, but the train began to move again and continued on to the Netherlands.
Cardozo, who has Friedreich's ataxia, a degenerative genetic condition that affects nerve transmission and muscle control, said he began using a wheelchair at 16 as his condition progressed. He told the newspaper that a ticket collector said he could not fetch a ramp and would speak to the train manager, but the train departed before arrangements were made.
When staff in Rotterdam learned what had happened, they arranged a return trip to Brussels at no extra cost, Cardozo said. He spent about half an hour in Rotterdam before returning and arrived in Brussels in time for a wedding he was due to attend. The rail journey between Rotterdam and Brussels takes roughly an hour.
Cardozo said he was not offered compensation but described Eurostar staff as "very nice about the whole thing" and added that Eurostar were "usually amazing." He told the Daily Mail he "didn't really mind that much" and joked that a free trip to Rotterdam was "kind of cool." He suggested the ticket collector might not have had the training to fetch a ramp.
The account was first reported by the Daily Mail on Sept. 15. The passenger's description of events indicates a breakdown in the planned assistance procedure for passengers with reduced mobility on an international Eurostar service. Eurostar staff in Brussels did not arrive to meet the passenger at the platform as he had expected, and on-board staff did not secure his disembarkation before the train departed.
Eurostar staff in Rotterdam subsequently helped arrange the return journey, according to Cardozo. The Daily Mail report said the company was contacted for comment; the newspaper said it had approached Eurostar for a statement. The passenger said he viewed the incident as an error rather than deliberate neglect.
Advocates for disabled travellers and rail operators typically say advance notice and clear procedures are important to ensure assistance is available when international trains call at different national stations. Passengers with reduced mobility are usually advised to request help in advance through the carrier's assistance service, which coordinates with staff at departure and arrival stations.
Cardozo's account underscores the potential for disruption when coordination fails on cross-border rail services. He said the mishap did not prevent him from reaching his destination and described the outcome as fortunate, but his experience highlights questions about how assistance arrangements are implemented at international stops where different staff and operating organisations are involved.