Request Stop on a Train

A request stop is a scheduled station or halt where a train stops only when a passenger needs to board or get off. If nobody requests the stop, the train may pass without stopping. You may also see stop on request, halt on request, French arrêt à la demande or arrêt facultatif, and German Anrufhalt.

The label matters when you are boarding or alighting. A request stop is not automatically served just because it appears in a route or timetable, and it is not the same as a limited-service stop. A limited-service stop may be served only by selected trains, while a request stop adds the condition that someone must ask for the stop.

Identifying a request stop

Look up your specific train and station in the dated timetable, journey planner, route map or station display. It should indicate whether some trains, or all trains on that service, call only by request. A train shown for the station may pass if nobody has requested the stop, so treat the note as specific to that departure.

Boarding at a request stop

Go to the marked platform, stay visible to the approaching train and remain safely away from the platform edge. Follow the signal required by that railway or service. There is no single European hand signal, button or carriage position that applies everywhere.

At a National Rail request stop in Great Britain, give the driver a clear hand signal as the train approaches. On the liO SNCF Occitanie Marvejols to La Bastide-Saint-Laurent-les-Bains route, signal the driver from a safe position away from the platform edge. These examples apply to their named services and do not set one procedure for another railway, station or train.

Getting off at a request stop

Tell the onboard conductor or controller early enough for the service's stated procedure. The timing and the person you must tell can vary. At Great Britain National Rail request stops, tell the conductor in good time. At the SNCF TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine request stops at Jassonneix, Pérols and Montaignac, tell the controller after boarding and no later than before the train leaves the preceding stop. On the liO SNCF Occitanie route, tell the onboard crew your destination after boarding.

If the timetable or crew instructions give a different method, follow that instruction. A request-stop label alone says nothing about door opening, tickets, reservations, fares or accessibility arrangements.

Examples of different procedures

In Great Britain, some or all trains at a National Rail request stop may call only by request. The boarding signal is a clear hand signal to the driver, and the alighting instruction is to tell the conductor in good time.

From 31 August 2026, liO SNCF Occitanie request stops apply on the Marvejols to La Bastide-Saint-Laurent-les-Bains route. The train does not stop when no passenger needs the stop, and the affected stations and route-specific instructions appear in itinerary and station information.

SNCF TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine uses non-systematic request stops for selected trains serving Jassonneix, Pérols and Montaignac. A boarding passenger signals the driver, while an alighting passenger tells the controller by the stated deadline.

These examples show why the train, station and operator information matters. They do not support a universal procedure for European rail travel. An on-demand bus is a separate road-transport concept and is not interchangeable with a request stop on a rail timetable.

Practical steps at the station

Before you travel, identify whether your dated train needs a request at the station. At the station, wait at the marked platform in a visible, safe position and use the stated boarding signal. If you are on the train, tell the conductor or controller using the timing given for that service. Keep the current operator information in view when the procedure is unfamiliar.