Croxley Green and Rickmansworth train users are to wait yet again for step-free access as Transport for London (TfL) put plans on hold.
TfL wrote to Croxley Green Lib Dem councillor, Chris Lloyd, telling him they had to “reassess” improving accessibility at Croxley Station due to financial issues.
They also said that Rickmansworth station step-free access will get the go ahead but will be later than planned. Passengers won’t see the change until 2023/24, two years later than proposed, whilst Croxley won’t be progressing at this time.
Step-free stations have lifts or ramps – or both – so customers do not have to use escalators or stairs to move between the street and the platform.
Cllr Lloyd said: “TfL rang me to say their financial situation has changed and they are reassessing the situation. To do Croxley will be more expensive than Ricky, so ours will not go ahead yet – I always knew it was going to be hard but that’s not going to stop us.
“TfL’s costings were pretty accurate, but they haven’t got the money to do it unfortunately.”
He added: “I’m very disappointed but it’s not going to stop us from carrying on. We’ll keep fighting so that people in Croxley can travel into London. I will continue to work with the residents’ association and individuals to keep this at the forefront of TfL’s agenda.”
A spokesperson for TfL said: “We remain committed to improving step-free access for customers across the TfL network. As part of record investment, 34 per cent of London Underground stations will by step-free by 2020.
“At this time however, we are managing a number of significant financial challenges. This regrettably means that step-free access will be delivered two years later than originally proposed at Rickmansworth and will not be progressed at Croxley at this time.”
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