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Transport for London has announced plans to upgrade ten tube stations across the city with step-free access. Should funding be confirmed, TfL intends to dish out accessibility upgrades to Alperton, Arnos Grove, Burnt Oak, Eastcote, Finchley Road, Northolt, North Acton, Rayners Lane, West Hampstead and White City tube stations.
The upgrades could apparently cost about £20 million per year, with the first ones due to be completed by 2026. Whether the plans go ahead hinges on funding, which relies on councils and/or developers agreeing to help foot the bill.
The stations are still yet to be finally reviewed, but TfL said they were chosen in order to include different zones across London and have as big an impact on the accessibility of the network as possible. As it stands, only around one-third of the underground is step-free, though 24 tube stations have been upgraded since 2016 and the entirety of the brand-new Elizabeth Line was built with accessibility in mind.
But these ten stations aren’t the only ones getting upgrades. Thanks to the Levelling Up Fund, Leyton and Colindale tubes are due for upgrades in 2024. Other tube stations are also being put forward for consideration – including addressing the ‘significant gap’ in accessibility between Elephant Castle and Morden on the Northern line – but the above ten are first in the queue.
‘This policy can make a meaningful difference to the lives of disabled Londoners,’ said Caroline Strickland, chief executive at Transport for All. Here’s hoping TfL’s proposals can find funding – and that our tube network can be made much more accessible for all.
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