Transport for London (TfL) has announced the shortlist of the next stations to undergo an accessibility study to become ‘step-free’.
TfL has published a list of 17 shortlisted stations that will now undergo accessibility feasibility studies, as part of the Step-Free Access programme, including Putney Bridge, East Putney and Edgware Road.
Accessibility feasibility studies assess the viability of installing access upgrades at relevant stations, based on whether installing lifts is possible and whether third-party funding exists to help pay for the improvements.
Putney Bridge station’s place on this shortlist comes after long years of campaigning by MPs and residents to make the station more accessible.
Despite serving an estimated five million passengers a year, the station has three flights of steps separating the platforms from street level.
The news has been welcomed by Ben Coleman, Labour MP for Chelsea and Fulham, who told the Londoners: “I will be talking to local players to see what they can contribute financially, even before the study comes out.”
“I’m pleased and delighted that we’ve had this breakthrough, but the work isn’t over.
“We’ll have to make the case, as always, that Putney Bridge should be at the head of the queue.”
Geoff Hadwick, 67, secretary of the Fulham FC Disabled Supporters Association, added: “We’re going to keep on knocking on TfL’s door and putting forward our case as positively and as forcefully as we can.”
He previously described Putney Bridge station as an ‘accident waiting to happen’.
Currently, only a third of London Underground’s 272 stations (93) have disabled access from street to platform level, but even fewer provide access to every platform or between every Tube line.
TfL’s feasibility studies are also not a guarantee of accessibility upgrades.
A TfL spokesperson said: “We will fund these additional studies, but the subsequent development and delivery of schemes will be dependent on TfL’s future funding position.
“Deliverable schemes will be prioritised where there is significant third-party funding available.”
The ultimate goal for Putney Bridge campaigners is the installation of a disabled lift at the station.
Not only would this open up the Tube, but also the adjoining bus station, extending access across the community.
Miriam Busani, 62, a St John’s Ambulance volunteer who has a two-year petition requesting a lift at the station, said: “The fact that there is a feasibility study is amazing, it is phenomenal progress.”
The station serves an estimated five million passengers a year, yet has three flights of steps separating the platforms from street level.
East Putney, another step-only station, has also been selected for a feasibility study.
Leonie Cooper (Labour), London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth, said:
“I have long campaigned for step-free access at East Putney station and in June 2023 handed a petition to the Mayor with over 3,000 signatures from local residents.
“The petition showed the huge appetite and support for step-free access from residents across Putney.”
These feasibility studies will build on work already underway to increase the number of step-free Tube stations on the London Underground network.
Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, said: “London is for everyone, and the Mayor and I are committed to making our transport network as accessible as possible.”
The 17 stations chosen for feasibility studies are: Putney Bridge, East Putney, Edgware Road (H&C), Upton Park, Willesden Green, Wood Green, Kentish Town, Becontree, Canons Park, Plaistow, Ruislip, Snaresbrook, South Harrow, Blackhorse Road, Dagenham East, Hornchurch and Hatton Cross.
The Mayor’s office has a target of making 50% of the network step-free by 2030.
Featured image credit: Danny Weller
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