Step-free access at London station reaches major milestone

Work to provide step-free access at Wandsworth Town station has reached a major milestone, with the completion of sinking piles for the station’s new lifts. Trains can now use the station’s island platform again, but the step-free access is not expected to be available until summer 2027. One of the most challenging stages of the £19.8 million project was to sink piles for the foundations of new lift shafts, which will serve platforms 2 and 3. That required a 12-week closure of the island platforms, which affected services travelling out of London. To avoid undue disruption to passengers, trains were re-platformed during critical stages of the work, which also avoided an estimated £1.2 million in lost revenue. The scheme is being funded through the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, together with significant investment from Wandsworth Council. As well as the new lifts, a new second station entrance is being constructed on Odyssey Way. More information can be found in South Western’s Improving your railway plan, which can be viewed here, and more information on improvements at Wandsworth Town can be found here. “It’s brilliant that we’ve successfully completed one of the most difficult parts of this project, whilst managing to keep trains running for our passengers. Improving the railway for passengers and communities is what integration under public ownership, and ultimately Great British Railways, is all about. We’re looking forward to delivering an accessible Wandsworth Town station for all customers in Summer 2027, and we thank them for their patience while we complete these improvements.” Oliver Rogers, Strategy & Business Development Director, South Western Railway