Ruislip Station – 16th July 2023
In TfL Announces The Next Tube Stations To Be Prioritised For Step-Free Access To Meet The Mayor’s Bold Accessibility Targets, it stated that Ruislip station will be made step-free.
So I went to have a look and took these pictures.
Note.
- The station is used by Piccadilly and Metropolitan Line trains, which are different sizes.
- There appears to be a well-preserved signal-box at the Eastern end of the station.
- The Eastbound platform has step-free access from the street.
- Crossing the tracks is by a Victorian steel footbridge.
- The station is Grade II Listed.
- The listing includes the the signal box and the footbridge.
This 3D Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- The footbridge in the South-West corner of the map.
- There is not much space to put a second bridge across the tracks.
- It might be possible to build a step-free footbridge with lifts by the road bridge.
If English Heritage and the Heritage Taliban dig in their heels, this could be a difficult station to make step-free.
But the London Underground has several bridges of this type, so perhaps this one is being scheduled early to test the reaction.
This second Google Map shows the road bridge and the Western ends of the platforms to an enlarged scale.
This picture shows the station side of the road bridge.
There could be space to put a steel bridge with two lifts by the road bridge.
Coupled with a comprehensive restoration of the current footbridge and a repainting of the road bridge, this could satisfy all parties.
TfL Announces The Next Tube Stations To Be Prioritised For Step-Free Access To Meet The Mayor’s Bold Accessibility Targets
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Transport for London.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Transport for London (TfL) has outlined the ten London Underground stations it will be reviewing for potential step-free access, as it progresses plans to further improve public transport accessibility in London.
These ten stations, spread across London, have been identified using an approach focused on the benefits to customers, such as reducing journey times for those needing to use step-free access and reflecting issues that impact the delivery of step-free access such as the feasibility of new lifts, sufficient space for work to be carried out and the depth of each Tube station.
The ten stations listed are.
- Alperton
- Arnos Grove
- Burnt Oak – Some work has been started, but paused because of the pandemic
- Eastcote
- Finchley Road
- Northolt – Some work has been started, but paused because of the pandemic
- North Acton
- Rayners Lane
- West Hampstead
- White City
The linked posts will show the latest status at the stations.
Other stations are named in the press release, where work will be done, if funds are available.
- Boston Manor
- Brondesbury
- Colindale
- East Putney
- Hackney Downs
- Hatton Cross
- Leyton
- North Ealing
- Park Royal
- Peckham Rye
- Queen’s Park
- Rickmansworth
- Ruislip
- Snaresbrook
- Surrey Quays
in addition, TfL will be looking at the Northern Line between Elephant and Castle and Morden, where there is a gap in step-free access.
These are a few thoughts.
The London Mayor Election In 2024
How many of these stations are in areas, where Sadiq Khan is short of votes for the 2024 election?
Arnos Grove Station
Work has already started at Arnos Grove station, as I showed in Are Arnos Grove And Northolt Tube Stations Going Step Free?.
The BBC Jumped The Gun
The press release now explains the BBC story from Mpnday, that I wrote about in Are Arnos Grove And Northolt Tube Stations Going Step Free?.
West London Stations To Be Made Step-Free
Twelve stations in West London are to be made step-free on the London Underground.
- Amersham – Metropolitan Line
- Boston Manor – Piccadilly Line
- Hanger Lane – Central Line
- Harrow-on-the-Hill – Metropolitan Line – Opening in 2019
- Ickenham – Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines
- Northolt – Central Line
- North Ealing – Piccadilly Line
- Osterley – Piccadilly Line
- Park Royal – Piccadilly Line
- Rickmansworth – Metropolitan Line
- Ruislip – Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines
- Sudbury Hill – Piccadilly Line
These Crossrail stations in West London, will also become step-free.
- Acton Main Line
- Ealing Broadway – Also an Underground station
- Hanwell
- Hayes & Harlington
- Old Oak Common
- Southall
- West Drayton
- West Ealing
This gives a total of twenty stations, that will become fully step-free in West London.
These pictures show the various London Underground stations. at the end of January 2018.
Boston Manor
No work has started yet!
Harrow-on-the-Hill
The station is unusual in that there are steep steps up to a bridge over the tracks, at both entrances to the station. Then there would need to be further lifts to the platforms.
Work has started.
Ickenham
No work has started yet! Will the current bridge be replaced?
North Ealing
No work has started yet!
Osterley
No work has started yet!
Park Royal
No work has started yet!
Ruislip
No work has started yet! Will the current bridge be replaced?
Sudbury Hill
No work has started yet!
Platform Height Problems
Boston Manor, North Ealing, Osterley, Park Royal and Sudbury Hill stations were all District Line stations moved to the Piccadilly Line.
This picture was taken at Osterley station.
Could we see trains running on the Piccadilly Line, where the suspension jacks the train up as required?
This may seem rather fantastical, but most modern trains run on airbags to give a smooth ride.
This picture shows the bogie under a Class 378 train.
Note the air-bag! Pump it up and the train rides higher.
This technique could be used to solve the problem of Piccadilly Line trains calling at platforms shared with Metropolitan Line trains.
Summary
They are much more of a mixed bunch than those I wrote about in Eastern Central Line Stations To Be Made Step-Free.
This probably due to the fact, that the Eastern stations were all build by the Great Eastern Railway at around the same time.
These West London stations were built at various times, with some being built in the 1930s.
- Boston Manor was rebuilt in 1934 and is Grade II Listed
- Hanger Lane was built in 1947.
- Osterley was built in 1934 and is Grade II Listed.
- Park Royal was built in 1932 and is Grade II Listed
- Sudbury Hill was built in 1931 to a design of Charles Holden and is Grade II Listed.
Didn’t they have disabled people and prams in those days, just a few years before I was born?
Some of the precipitous steps in this group of station are very dangerous.
At least some of the other stations of this era like Bounds Green, Southgate and Word Green have escalators.
What Are Transport for London’s Plans?
Transport for London have stated that their aim is to eventually have all Underground stations with full step-free access.
If you look at maps of West London, stations for Underground and National Rail are not that numerous and it is rare to find step-free access, unless a satation has been built in the last couple of decades.
So perhaps, TfL are improving the balance.
Tube Stations To Be Made Step-Free
This article on City AM is entitled London Mayor Sadiq Khan Names The Next 13 Tube Stations Going Step-Free.
They are.
- Boston Manor – Piccadilly Line
- Burnt Oak – Northern Line
- Debden – Central Line
- Hanger Lane – Central Line
- Ickenham – Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines
- Northolt – Central Line
- North Ealing – Piccadilly Line
- Park Royal – Piccadilly Line
- Rickmansworth – Metropolitan Line
- Ruislip – Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines
- Snaresbrook – Central Line
- Sudbury Hill – Piccadilly Line
- Wimbledon Park – District Line
These are in addition to these stations, which are already in the pipeline for step-free access.
- Amersham – Metropolitan Line
- Bromley-by-Bow – District And Hammersmith & City Lines – Opening in 2018
- Buckhurst Hil – Central Line – Opening in 2018
- Cockfosters – Piccadilly Line
- Harrow-on-the-Hill – Metropolitan Line – Opening in 2019
- Mill Hill East – Northern Line
- Newbury Park – Central Line – Opening in 2018
- Osterley – Piccadilly Line
- South Woodford – Central Line
As the City AM article reports that the new thirteen station will cost £200 million to upgrade, there is around £300 million of work to9 be done in total.
Perhaps some of the contracts will go the companies hit by Carillion’s failure!
The Anonymous Widower 