Transport for London (TfL) has named six more Underground stations that will be made step-free by 2020 as part of mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to improve accessibility.
Work will begin this year to provide step-free access at Buckhurst Hill station, Next year work will start at Amersham, Buckhurst Hill, Cockfosters, Mill Hill East, Osterley and South Woodford.
TfL said step-free access is scheduled to be completed at all six stations by 2020.
Mr Khan said: ‘It's absolutely vital that we make our transport network accessible to all, and by investing more in step-free access than ever before, we're doing what we can to help people right across the capital.’
Catherine Smith of campaign group Transport for All said: ‘This is great news for disabled and older people. With only one out of five Tube stations step-free, there aren't many accessible travel options for us on the London Underground.
‘Step-free access at these stations will open up the Tube network to disabled people especially from outer London, helping us to travel with freedom and independence.’
TfL said a £200m investment over the next five years will bring the total number of Underground stations with step-free access to all platforms to more than 100, which is more than 40% of the Tube network and up from the current level of 26%.
It pointed out that 2019 will see a huge increase in the number of stations with step-free access with the full opening of the Elizabeth line, all of whose 40 stations will be step-free.
As part of the accessibility programme, TfL is taking a ‘market-led approach’ where suppliers are asked to devise step-free solutions that can be replicated across many different stations.
TFL said this will deliver better value for money, encourage greater use of new technologies and increase competition between companies bidding for the work, while ensuring that it delivers the best possible solutions.
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