Local Tube Stations To Benefit From Step Free Access
Funds given to make them fully accessible by spring 2022
(Boston Manor Tube Station)
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Boston Manor, North Ealing, Hanger Lane, Park Royal and Northolt are just a few of the 13 stations on the London Underground network to be upgraded to have step-free access.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced funding for the plan which means the stations should be fully accessible by spring 2022.
Other stations that are being upgraded are Burnt Oak, Debden, Ickenham, Rickmansworth, Ruislip, Snaresbrook, Sudbury Hill and Wimbledon Park.
London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon , Dr Onkar Sahota AM, said:
“We have a fantastic transport network but we need to ensure it is accessible to everybody visiting, or living and working in, our city. It’s great to see that Sadiq Khan is taking real action to improve accessibility and that people in Ealing and Hillingdon will directly benefit.
“This work will make our station much easier to use for people with disabilities, and parents using pushchairs. It's an important way of making our local area that much more inclusive, and reflects the Mayor's commitment to ensuring we are a city for all Londoners.
"It's important that we recognise that accessibility on the transport network goes beyond step-free, so I will be urging the Mayor to take steps that will assist Londoners travelling with sight or hearing loss."
This is the next allocation of an additional £200m the Mayor is investing in increasing the number of stations with step-free access. This will help bring the total number of Underground stations with step-free access to all platforms to more than 100 and TfL aims to have 40% of stations fully accessible by 2022 compared to the current level of 27% This number will partly be boosted by the opening of the Elizabeth line for which all stations will be step-free.
Sadiq Khan, said, “It’s vital that we make our transport network accessible to all Londoners and visitors. That’s why I vowed to significantly improve the services offered at our stations for those with disabilities, parents with pushchairs or anyone who struggles with their mobility. These improvements are going to make a big difference in helping Londoners move around our city and show the real progress we are making to improve accessibility right across the capital.”
As part of the Mayor’s Tube accessibility programme, a new lift contract has been introduced that can be replicated across many stations. TfL say that it delivers the same standards of reliability but at a fraction of the cost and length of time it previously took to design, manufacture and install a lift. They anticipate that this initiative will cut the cost of installing each lift cut by 70 per cent, making savings of £15m. It will also cut the delivery time by 40 per cent, allowing TfL to introduce step-free access in the quickest time possible.
Paul Goulden, Chief Executive of Age UK London, said: “We’re very pleased to see the number of stations with step-free access will rise to more than 100 by 2022. We want London to be as accessible as possible and these changes mean that more older people will have improved access to central London and can enjoy all that the city has to offer. Today’s announcement is another key step towards achieving this and we look forward to welcoming further progress over the coming years.”
There are currently 72 stations that are fully accessible, making up 27% of the network. Once the work is completed on these 13 stations, as well as the ongoing work at 10 other stations and the forthcoming Elizabeth line, there will be 102 step free stations – making 37.7 per cent of the network.
22nd January 2018
