Network Rail has finished replacing the 24-year-old lifts at Sutton Station.

These lifts have become unreliable and often prevent those with accessibility needs from accessing the platforms.

Passengers can now travel with confidence once more, now that the step-free access has been reinstated.

Network Rail worked on all three lifts at the same time to ensure the process was quicker, seeing them complete the work in 17 weeks, which is half the time it would have taken had they completed them one at a time.

Both Thameslink and Southern worked to provide alternative routes for passengers who required step-free access to ensure that they could still get to their destinations.

While they were completed two weeks ago, they had to undergo testing and have now been officially declared open.

“The existing lifts at Sutton station had been in use for 24 years and needed replacing to give passengers reliable step-free access to the rail network.

“We knew this was going to be disruptive, particularly to passengers with accessibility needs, but by replacing all three simultaneously, we finished the job much faster.”

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail Sussex route director