Tube station lifts had to be closed more than 500 times last year because there were no “trained staff” available in case they broke down.
There was a five-fold annual increase in the amount of time that lifts were taken out of service as a safety precaution – despite being in working order.
Disability campaigners described the situation as “unacceptable”.The worst-affected station was Wimbledon Park, which had a lift installed as recently as August 2021.
Last year it was shut on 84 occasions, for a total of 348 hours.Other stations plagued by lift closures due to staff shortages last year include Ickenham (44), Osterley (33), West Ham (33), Harrow & Wealdstone (32), Southfields (24), Hillingdon (21), Canning Town (21) and Morden (20).
The figures, which emerged from a freedom of information request to Transport for London, are separate to lift closures as a result of engineering breakdowns.
A total of 92 stations are step-free, meaning wheelchair users, passengers with mobility issues and families with children in prams and pushchairs can access a third of the London Underground.
Soon after he was first elected mayor, Sadiq Khan said TfL’s goal was “to have no lifts taken out of service due to an absence of trained staff”.
Last month the RMT union revealed that Tube stations were closed on 2,115 occasions last year because of staff shortages.
The FoI response revealed there were 160 instances of lifts being closed due to a lack of trained staff in 2021 – rising to 507 last year.
The amount of time lifts were out of action due to staff shortages increased from 29,953 minutes to 147,618 minutes.
These closures happen at short notice and can leave passengers stranded.
The Londoner who submitted the FoI, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Standard: “Eleven years on from London hosting the Paralympic Games this really is an appalling legacy for London.”
The Transport For All campaign group said disabled people faced a “multitude of barriers” to using the capital’s public transport network, with a wheelchair user’s average commute taking five times longer.It said lift closures could leave disabled people “trapped underground”.
A Transport For All spokeswoman said: “This is not just inconvenient, stressful, and dangerous in the moment that you’re stranded - it has a devastating knock-on effect on the rest of our lives.
“These kind of access failures make us miss work, school and medical appointments; they force us to cancel plans with family and friends; sometimes they stop us from leaving the house all together.“
Accessibility is not a nice-to-have, or an additional cost - it is a vital part of public infrastructure. It is unacceptable that, in 2023, we still have to fight to for our right to get on the Tube.”
Moorgate, Whitechapel and Ealing Broadway stations all became step-free last year when the Elizabeth line – which is fully accessible – opened.
Work to make Knightsbridge step-free is due to be completed next year, as is step-free access to the Bakerloo line platforms at Paddington.
In both cases, TfL has relied on funding from private developers.TfL has pledged to spend £60m providing step-free access at Leyton and Colindale stations after securing Government funds.
The work at Leyton, which includes a new ticket hall, had to be paused due to a lack of cash.
Mark Evers, TfL’s chief customer officer, said: “We understand the importance of ensuring step-free access is available to everyone and we appreciate the significant impact any unavailability causes for customers who rely on it. Unfortunately, there was an increase in station and lift closures on the London Underground network last year, which were largely driven by staffing challenges.”
“However, the staffing situation has significantly improved this year and we expect this trend to continue. Keeping step-free stations open as much as possible is a priority and we always try to minimise lift disruptions by moving station staff to cover key locations. Where this is not possible, we provide a taxi service at TfL’s cost to help customers reach their destination.”
