Step-Free Access developments

I agree with melikepie.

Also, I'm not sure if this counts, but the lifts at Holloway Road are being replaced one at a time (ianvisits). I'm aware that despite having lifts, the station isn't step free due to a final staircase from the lifts down to the platforms. Is there any possibility for step-free access at Holloway Road, especially with new lifts?

Was once a plan to reopen the old ticket hall at Highbury to use the remaining lift shafts.

I find it was the 2002 LU publication 'Unlocking London for All' that noted that at Waterloo and Highbury the disused lift shafts are to be re-equipped. Neither project has progressed. Of course, further lifts would need to descend to the platforms at Highbury, and no contribution was received for step-free access to the National Rail platforms at Moorgate in connection with works for the Elizabeth Line.

Plan on track in 2017

Assuming the design of step-free access is similar to that which was originally planned (illustrated in Ianvisits' article) then this will help congestion on the stairs slightly as some people (especially some of those who are likely to be slower) will take the left instead of stairs increasing their capacity a bit. Adding a second set of stairs to the new footbridge would help even more, but I'm struggling to see how this could be done easily/cheaply.
I am not familiar enough with the station to know where the bottleneck is, but I'd be surprised if the scope of the works was greater than rearranging the layout of the ticket hall interior (e.g. number and position of gates). I can't see any obvious way to increase the capacity of the pavement outside without significant changes to the road, which will definitely not be part of this project - especially as this isn't a TfL road so the project would need (at minimum) significant involvement from Ealing council.

Thinking long term, the best way to improve capacity would probably be to do something like North Ealing and build a new station building at 90° to the current one to the side of the railway. This would not come cheap, obviously, but I have no idea what value for money calculations would look like.

re: West Hampstead Overground station relocating the platform entry point from 'as close as possible to the street entrance' to the middle of the train is a pain in the neck for the number of times I've missed a train that I would have caught had this not been done. It also encourages running, which is especially risky on the stairs.

Not installing proper 'weather protection' platform shelters means that when its raining passengers wait on the stairs. This is very sub-optimal!

Building a station that does not have a staffed ticket office means that the old station building is still being used by the railway. Its a shame that since there is a member of staff present at all times the ticket office is open, the gateline could not also be reinstated - and steps down to the platform on the right (ie: the side that does not have the new station building).

On the topic of using making stations accessible as a reason to also increase capacity to benefit everyone else, I fear for Leyton. I think the same mistakes will be made here, although one slight difference is that this station still retains platform shelters.

Instead a different mistake will be made at Leyton - until the building of the A12 road this station had a second entrance at the Leytonstone end of the platforms. The planned new works do not seem to include reinstating this facility. I have to wonder, if it were to be reinstated would it reduce the pressure on the existing station building to such a degree that it no longer needs replacing?

Or maybe the planned new passageway alongside the outside of the platforms could be modified to include an access to the east? This would still be better than doing nothing for the people who live on the eastern side of the station

Thanks for the link.

This looks to be where the platform access will be located (filmed on the westbound platform, my camera is pointing towards Leytonstone) 

The glass brick passageways remind me of West Ham. Other aspects of the works remind me of Newbury Park and West Hampstead North London Line stations.

At Ilford they kept the gateline where it was - but just made it much wider.

Ilford used a temporary entrance and completely rebuilt the station building.

West Hampstead cut down trees to clear a vacant space and built a new station building next to the existing building, which was meant to be closed afterwards. Leyton will be doing the same except that the new construction will be where the station house was before the A12 road was built.

There is a large, secure cycle parking facility about a minute's walk from the current entrance so I don't expect to see significant additional provision for cycling as part of this development.

Just had a read of the report of the report and I found it quite interesting:
I think Waterloo & Highbury & Islington definitely should become fully step-free by re-equipping the disused lift shafts. It would help with growing capacity. I wonder if there are any other stations with disused lift shafts that can be put back into service.
I’m intrigued to know how the likes of Archway, Clapham South, East Putney, Ladbroke Grove, Stockwell & Wood Green would have got step-free access.
Maybe Liverpool Street can be become step-free during the rebuild of the Mainline station?
Roding Valley is technically step-free, so don’t know what improvements they were planning there.
And how on earth would they have made Kennington & Queensway become step-free given that lifts are the only way down to the platforms? Maybe install escalators?

For Ladbroke Gro, it looks like there are disused spaces across the street both sides of the railway. Maybe build walkways alongside the railway bridge and step-free lifts on the other side of the street or is that too impractical?

I know that at Knightsbridge, a second lift has been built from the lower lift landing to the platforms (not open to the public until later this year). So I guess it would have been similar for Queensway. Kennington would presumably need two such lifts which could have been added to the walkways over the platforms

Probably obvious once I say it, but escalators don’t count as step-free access, as you can’t fit a wheelchair on one.

Incidentally South Kensington Piccadilly line may be the same as Waterloo, with empty(?) lift shafts that once provided step-free access, but while the Circle & District platforms will get step-free access, the Piccadilly won’t (yet).


That’s a very interesting thought. I would’ve thought they would try to attach the lift to the existing station building if possible, otherwise it means a second gate line and more staff needed. (E.g. the set up at Gospel Oak; the lifts are separate at platform level but come out into the ticket hall)

Shepherd’s Bush Central line does have a lift shaft to an intermediate level indeed

Work to make the staton step-free was begun but was paused around 2009 because of substantial costs. This was due to ‘ground conditions’, utilities in unexpected places, the 2008 financial crash, and the absorption of Metronet (source: London Assembly)

So frustrating, but it will be good if White City gets step-free access!

I wish there was more step-free access (it would make more stations accessible to me) but money is such a constraint. Since there’s already step-free access to Wood Lane and Shepherd’s Bush overground, plus lots of buses, I can see why Shepherd’s Bush central line didn’t get it. (apologies if this is too much info for this thread!)

It should be remembered that the original lifts didn't reach platform level.

The layout had stairs to/from the platforms.

Updating to create step free access is not a simple process.

I think it’ll be great to see North Acton become step-free. The central line has a huge step-free gap between Bond Street and Ealing Broadway/Greenford. Plus it’s also where the Central line splits and some trains terminate

Sad to see the original station building go (looks like an original GWR building?) but that is necessary sometimes.

Incidentally, I note that North Acton seems to be replacing Hanger Lane in terms of step-free work. Hanger Lane & Park Royal were originally on the step-free upgrades list here. As of 2020, jimbo wrote they will now only be progressed with 3rd party funding.

The benefits of upgrading those two would be:

1. Providing a step-free interchange between Central and Piccadilly lines (but via a long, very busy road - not nice!)
2. Serving an area without step-free stations between Ealing Broadway and Sudbury Town

However, Ian’s article above implies there is overcrowding at North Acton, a big safety issue that will only get worse with time. So it makes sense that it needs an upgrade