Transport officials are taking a fresh look at the design of a new railway station in west London to ensure it offers level boarding for all its services, City Hall has been told.
Andy Lord, Transport for London (TfL) commissioner, said it would be an “absolute failing” if the HS2 station at Old Oak Common was not fully accessible for all passengers - adding that he was in “direct dialogue” with the Government about the issue.
The vast new station, located between Acton and Paddington, is planned to serve as a temporary London terminus for the high speed line to Birmingham.
Until the main terminus is complete at Euston, passengers will be encouraged to travel into central London using the Elizabeth line, which will also stop at the station along with national rail services provided by Great Western Railway (GWR).
While the HS2 platforms are planned to have level boarding, the same is not true for the Elizabeth line, where passengers in wheelchairs, for example, will be forced to use ramps to access the trains. It would mean that making an interchange into central London would be impossible for those passengers without help from station staff.
The problem has been caused by the fact that the Elizabeth line platforms are also proposed to accommodate GWR trains, as well as some freight services, all of which are different sizes and heights.
Questions about the station’s accessibility were raised with mayor Sadiq Khan last year by Caroline Pidgeon - a Liberal Democrat who recently joined the House of Lords.
She said it would be a “scandal” and “beggars belief” that a brand new railway hub, expected to open in the early 2030s, would not offer complete accessibility for all passengers.
The issue was raised again at a London Assembly meeting this week, just days after 11-time Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson revealed she had been forced to "crawl off" an LNER train arriving at London King's Cross.
The former Paralympian’s ordeal was referred to by Lib Dem assembly member Hina Bokhari in connection with the plans for Old Oak Common on Thursday. She asked what progress had been made in discussions with the Government about the new station.
Mr Lord said the experience suffered by Baroness Grey-Thompson was “absolutely horrendous”, adding: “With regard to the HS2 station and what will be the new Great Western station at Old Oak Common, I’m in direct dialogue with the Department for Transport.
“I’ve raised it personally with both the permanent secretary and the former rail minister Huw Merriman, in the previous Government, around the [fact that the] current design does not have level access for the Great Western station, between the Elizabeth line and the platforms.
“The good news is that is now being actively looked at in terms of how the design can be changed to ensure that there is level access for the Elizabeth line trains at Old Oak Common, but that is not finalised yet.
“But we are steadfast in our drive to ensure that we do not open a station that does not have level access for customers when the new station opens. It would be an absolute failing on everybody’s part, so we’re pushing extremely hard for that and we will ensure that the new Government are very aware of this critical issue.”
