London mayor Sadiq Khan names the next 13 Tube stations going step-free
London mayor Sadiq Khan today announced the next 13 Tube stations going step-free and said they will be completed by spring 2022.
The stations to benefit are North Ealing, Rickmansworth, Wimbledon Park, Boston Manor, Burnt Oak, Debden, Hanger Lane, Ickenham, Northolt, Park Royal, Ruislip, Snaresbrook and Sudbury Hill. Combined, they record more than 33m passenger journeys each year.
The news marks the next tranche of £200m the mayor is investing as part of a drive to improve step-free access across the London Underground network.
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Khan wants to reach a target of 40 per cent of Tube stations being step-free by 2022, compared to the current level of 27 per cent.
| The 13 stations that have now got funding to go step-free |
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Boston Manor – 2.32m journeys a year Burnt Oak – 4.52m journeys a year Debden – 2.47m journeys a year Hanger Lane – 4.10m journeys a year Ickenham – 1.17m journeys a year Northolt – 5.16m journeys a year North Ealing – 0.91m journeys a year Park Royal – 2.02m journeys a year Rickmansworth – 2.46m journeys a year Ruislip – 1.95m journeys a year Snaresbrook – 2.69m journeys a year Sudbury Hill – 1.98m journeys a year Wimbledon Park – 1.89m journeys a year |
Newbury Park, Bromley-by-Bow and Buckhurst Hill are set to be step-free this year, with work wrapping up at Harrow-on-the-Hill next year. Then Amersham, Cockfosters, Mill Hill East, Osterley and South Woodford will have work getting underway.
The mayor 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.
To decide the order of which stations to provide step-free access to, a prioritisation process is carried out assessing how deliverable it would be, cost, and benefits.
As part of the Tube accessibility work, a new lift contract has also been introduced to be replicated across a range of stations.
TfL said it provides the same reliability, but at lower cost, and is quicker to install. It has estimated savings of £15m will be made for reinvestment in the capital's transport.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly member, said the news was "an incredibly welcome announcement".
"However let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture that even in four years time 60 per cent of London Underground stations will still be inaccessible for people with disabilities," she said. "Today’s announcement is just the start of making London truly accessible. Sadly London is still paying the price of Boris Johnson’s decision to cancel a number of step free schemes when he first became mayor of London."
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