London Underground is facing anger from passengers, especially those with limited mobility, as the total number of passenger lift closures has almost doubled in a year.
Details uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have found that the number of closures caused by a lack of staffing rose by 87 per cent between 2023 and 2024, reaching 6,197 hours of closures, the equivalent of 258 days.
Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon Paul Kohler observed: “Across London, wheelchair users and others with accessibility needs are left stranded due to a sudden lift closure,” saying such people were being “excluded” from the transport system by such incidents.
Mr Kohler described this situation as “completely unacceptable” and called on the London mayor Sadiq Khan to “get a grip” on the problem.
As the Evening Standard noted, other MPs in London have raised issues concerning lifts at Tube and rail stations across the capital.
These include Walthamstow MP Stella Creasey, who raised the issue of the lifts not working at Walthamstow Central, while at nearby Blackhorse Road, passengers will have to take the long escalator to reach the Victoria line as the lifts will not be repaired until June, or access the Underground from other stations nearby.
Such problems come at a time when Transport for London and other bodies providing transport services in and to London have made great strides in improving access for those with restricted mobility. This includes step-free access at all 42 stations on the Elizabeth Line.
Transport for London has some way to go before it can achieve this same level of access at all 274 Underground stations. In this regard, the Tube lags behind other UK underground systems.Step-free access is in place at all 15 stations on the Glasgow Subway and all 60 on the Tyne and Wear Metro, which is mostly overground but has a few underground sections in the central areas of Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland.