Five Tube stations that were initially rejected for step-free access have been given a “second chance” to be upgraded, according to a report in The Standard.
The paper reported that Transport for London is to carry out feasibility studies at Barkingside, Brent Cross, Preston Road, Queensbury, and Totteridge & Whetstone Underground stations.
All five were on a long list of 30 stations under consideration for accessibility upgrades but failed to make it onto a shortlist of 17 stations last October.
TfL has now decided to reconsider its decision and re-assess the stations to examine the costs and benefits of installing passenger lifts and potentially increasing their overall capacity.
The Standard said that a total of 94 of the 272 Tube stations have step-free access, meaning TfL is unlikely to meet its target of having 50 per cent of stations accessible by 2030.
An upgrade of Colindale station was completed last December. Northolt is due to be completed this summer and Leyton in Spring 2027.
Separately, the paper added, TfL has given the go-ahead to the comprehensive redesign of South Kensington station, believed to be the second busiest station on the Underground (after Oxford Circus) without step-free access.
There are 40 Tube stations where step-free access feasibility or design work is already underway.
However all projects are dependent on funding – with TfL prioritising schemes where “significant” third party contributions, such as from developers, can be secured.
The process for shortlisting stations examines factors such as customer benefits, deliverability, geographical spread and the local development and regeneration context.
Seb Dance, deputy mayor of London for transport, said: “The mayor and I are committed to making our transport network as accessible as possible.
“We’re pleased to see five more stations proceed to feasibility studies in the next stage of TfL’s Step-Free Access programme.”
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and strategy officer, said: “Making more Tube stations step-free is a major part of our work to make the transport network more accessible.
“This work always starts with conducting feasibility studies at stations to assess their suitability, so putting five additional stations under the spotlight is another important step towards making the Tube as accessible as possible.”