Work to provide Northolt Tube Central line station with step-free access will resume early next year after it was suspended because of the pandemic.
At the same time, design work will start to address capacity constraints at North Acton (Central line) and West Hampstead (Jubilee line) stations, and to make them step-free following feasibility work that started last year. Construction at Northolt is scheduled to start in early 2025.
Last summer, Transport for London confirmed that it would review the provision of step-free access at ten Underground stations, spread across the capital, for potential step-free access.
Northolt, North Acton, and West Hampstead are included among those ten, as well as Alperton, Arnos Grove, Burnt Oak, Eastcote, Finchley Road, Rayners Lane, and White City.
Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “London's diversity is one of its biggest strengths and the Mayor wants everyone to be able to participate in and enjoy all that our great city has to offer.
“The Mayor, TfL and I are determined to make London's transport network as accessible as possible. We are committed to increasing the proportion of step-free Tube stations and I'm delighted that TfL has confirmed the next stations where work will get underway. This is just one of the ways we are working to build a better, fairer city for all Londoners.”
Alex Williams, TfL's Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, said: “Reducing the journey time difference for those who rely on step-free access is a key goal of the Mayor's Transport Strategy. This will help create a fairer, more accessible and inclusive transport network, opening up more of London to everyone. We've been working hard to identify which Tube stations will be prioritised next for step-free access which is a critical component of delivering a more equitable customer experience for everyone who uses our services.
“I'm really pleased that we're now able to confirm that work will resume at Northolt and that we're starting design work at North Acton and West Hampstead as the next stations to be upgraded, building on feasibility work that started last year.”
Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a sustainable Camden, said: “To build a fairer, more equal borough, Camden must become as accessible as possible. Bringing in step-free access at West Hampstead Underground station will help us along this journey.
“This council used its powers in the planning process from the nearby O2 redevelopment to successfully negotiate funding for this massive advance for the NW6 community and the area's many visitors and workers.”
Emma Vogelmann, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Transport for All, said: “In our latest report, we found that a lack of step-free access was the single most significant barrier for disabled Londoners using the Underground. Not only does this render whole swathes of the network unusable, but impacts our journey times, health, work, education, and more.
“The resumption of work to make Northolt step-free, as well as upgrades across the rest of the network, are therefore vital, and we are encouraged to see TfL continuing to work with disabled people to make the capital truly accessible for all.”
John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager at AgeUK London, said: “Step-free stations have the ability to transform the lives of older and disabled Londoners as well as many others. We really welcome the news work will resume to make Northolt station step-free. Increasing the number of step-free stations on the Underground network will open the capital up to people that have faced too many barriers for too long.”
