03.10.14
LU confirms £75m fund for step-free access
Lots more London Underground stations are to be made step-free to help disabled passengers, thanks to a new £75m match-funding scheme.
The fund will enable the installation of new lifts at about 12 more stations over the next 10 years, in addition to the 28 LU and London Rail stations that TfL had previously committed to making step-free by 2024.
The funding, announced at a special TfL Accessibility Show at Excel London, will be used to match contributions from local councils and property developers for improvements to step-free access at a number of priority locations, unlocking large numbers of new accessible journeys.
Mike Brown MVO, managing director of LU said, “We have made great strides in making our network more accessible – installing new lifts, rebuilding stations, and introducing boarding ramps to make life easier for our customers.
“But we recognise that there is still a considerable way to go. Through the creation of this £75m fund we are using innovative ways to find the means of going further faster.”
The number of rail and Underground platforms that are step-free from street to platform has risen from 57 in 1998 to 195 in 2014.
Some of the stations that could be made step-free with third party contributions and the LU fund include Mill Hill East, Newbury Park, Osterley, West Brompton and White City. Others sites will be confirmed as soon as commercial negotiations allow.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “The Tube was built at a time when accessibility was not top of the priority list and that’s something we’ve long been battling to rectify.
“Great progress has been made in making an ever-growing number of stations step-free, and while the picture is far from perfect, this injection of cash is another step in the right direction.
“As we have also made clear in our pledge to make Crossrail step-free, this is all part of our wider efforts to ensure that London has a transport network that is open and accessible for all.”
(Image: c. Tom Page)
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