New £2.5m lifts for Carshalton station’s Southern and Thameslink rail users

The official unveiling of Carshalton railway station’s new £2.5million lifts was marked with a ribbon cutting.

The two new lifts mean there is now obstacle free access to the platforms, making travel between the station entrance, ticket office and trains much easier for people with reduced mobility, heavy luggage or shopping.

Work on the lifts began in October last year after funding was awarded through the ‘Access for All’ programme, backed by the Department for Transport.

Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake said: “After years of campaigning by the community, it’s fantastic to finally see Carshalton station become fully accessible with the installation of the new lifts. Our stations deserve to be used by all local residents, including those who are older or have mobility issues, pushchairs or heavy luggage. I’m very pleased to see the completion of this important project.”

Southern and Gatwick Express Managing Director Angie Doll said: “Carshalton station has benefitted from significant investment and I am delighted to see the new lifts up and running. We’re committed to making our services accessible to everyone.”

Hodan Hassan, Project Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We’re delighted to officially unveil the new lifts at Carshalton. It’s always a joy to be able to make train travel easier for everyone, particularly those with mobility issues, the elderly, and parents with young children. I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we completed this much needed upgrade.”

The Access for All programme aims to provide obstacle free, accessible routes to and between platforms. More than £300m has been secured to continue with the Access for All programme over the next five years.

Carshalton station, which serves more than a million passengers a year, was selected for this vital enhancement to allow passengers with mobility issues to use the station, rather than having to travel to the nearest step-free station in Sutton, around two miles away.

Carshalton station has also recently seen a raft of other upgrades, including improvements to the station toilets, cleaning and repainting of the subway, stairs and ticket hall.

Station Manager Katerina Makolova said: “The station is over 100 years old and it has been completely redecorated. It looks like a new station. The new lifts have been warmly welcomed. I think they will be really good for the local community because we have a school next to us so we have a lot of mothers with pushchairs, so it will be really helpful for them.”