Work will resume to make Northolt Tube station, on the West Ruislip branch of the Central line, step-free after it was paused due to the pandemic. Transport for London (TfL) also plans to start design work on making North Acton on the Central line and West Hampstead on the Jubilee line step-free, while also addressing capacity constraints.

This follows TfL confirming in summer 2023 that it would be reviewing ten Underground stations, spread across the capital, for potential step-free access.

The ten stations, which included Northolt, North Acton and West Hampstead, were identified using an approach focused on benefits, costs, funding opportunities and impact on customers. The approach was also influenced by feedback from accessibility campaigners and TfL’s consultation on step-free access, which attracted 5,500 responses. This feedback highlighted the importance of TfL addressing the gaps in areas that have few step-free stations.

Construction work was about to start at Northolt Tube station to make it step-free when the pandemic hit. Work has now been completed to re-analyse the design, construction and costing and TfL is able to confirm that this scheme will go ahead, with a construction start date of early 2025 following awarding of contracts for the next phase, completion of remaining design activities and site mobilisation. Northolt is also on the Superloop SL9 route, linking Heathrow to Harrow. TfL has one of the most accessible bus networks in the world with all routes served by low-floor vehicles and an access ramp and dedicated space for wheelchair users. Making Northolt step-free will open up new journey options for those travelling to Heathrow Airport using Superloop services.

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “London’s diversity is one of its biggest strengths and the Mayor wants everyone to be able to participate in and enjoy all that our great city has to offer.

“The Mayor, TfL and I are determined to make London’s transport network as accessible as possible. We are committed to increasing the proportion of step-free Tube stations and I’m delighted that TfL has confirmed the next stations where work will get underway. This is just one of the ways we are working to build a better, fairer city for all Londoners.”

Alex Williams, TfL’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, said: “Reducing the journey time difference for those who rely on step-free access is a key goal of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. This will help create a fairer, more accessible and inclusive transport network, opening up more of London to everyone. We’ve been working hard to identify which Tube stations will be prioritised next for step-free access which is a critical component of delivering a more equitable customer experience for everyone who uses our services. I’m really pleased that we’re now able to confirm that work will resume at Northolt and that we’re starting design work at North Acton and West Hampstead as the next stations to be upgraded, building on feasibility work that started last year.”