Upgrades to enable step-free access at three Tube stations on Piccadilly Line have been announced by Transport for London (TfL).
Works will take place at Alperton, Arnos Grove and Eastcote, the transport authority has confirmed, following feasibility research last year.
A further seven stations - Colliers Wood, Croxley, East Finchley, Neasden, Northwood, Tooting Broadway and Turnham Green - will also undergo feasibility assessments for similar upgrades.
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and strategy officer, said: “More than a third of Underground stations across the capital are step-free and we’re working hard to increase this number to help create a fairer, more accessible and inclusive transport network, opening up more of London to everyone.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan is working towards a goal of making 50 per cent of Tube stations step-free by 2030, but TfL has cautioned that this will depend on the organisation’s future funding position, with schemes prioritised where there is third party funding available.
The latest announcements come after TfL revealed in February that work was to start at Northolt station to make it step-free, and that design work will start at North Acton and at West Hampstead.
John McGeachy, campaigns manager at Age UK London, said: “Step-free stations have the potential to transform the daily lives of older and disabled Londoners, as well as many others.
“We really welcome the start of design work towards making three more stations step free, as well as news that more stations are to be assessed for their potential to be made step free.
“Increasing the number of step-free stations on the Underground network will make life easier for people that have faced too many barriers for too long.”
Step-free schemes at both Colindale and Leyton Tube stations are currently in progress, with Colindale station now closed until December 2024 while work to give the station a larger ticket hall and make it step-free continues.
Detailed design work is taking place at Leyton station, ahead of the construction contract being let later this year. TfL said that work is continuing with third parties to deliver step-free access at Knightsbridge station and the Bakerloo line entrance to Paddington station.
The feasibility studies announced at Colliers Wood and Tooting Broadway come after an initial assessment of stations on the southern end of the Northern line, with TfL now set to examine the benefits, costs, funding opportunities and impact on passengers.
The southern end of the Northern line is the longest stretch of the Tube network that does not have any step-free stations, with just the terminus station of Morden being step-free from street to train.
Councillor Jenny Yates, Wandsworth’s cabinet member for transport, said: “More than 11million passenger journeys were made to and from Tooting Broadway last year, with typically 40 tube services an hour serving the station even outside peak travel times.
“Many of these journeys would have been made by passengers travelling to the nearby St George’s Hospital. An accessible lift at the station would enable many more people to travel to their appointments or visit families and friends by public transport. So, we welcome Tooting Broadway being considered for step-free access and are keen to see the results of the feasibility study from TfL.”
