Petts Wood station gets four new lifts to provide step-free access

A nearly £11 million project to add step-free access at Petts Wood station in southeast London has been completed, with the installation of four new lifts.

New lifts (c) Network Rail

Network Rail began work at the station in May 2022 and as part of the upgrades also extended the island platform to accommodate the lifts on the platforms and installed new CCTV cameras for added security.

There are now four lifts at the station: one serving the station ticket office, two on the station island platforms, and the final lift serving the Western Approach entrance. The lifts were added to the existing footbridge, so there is no need for a new footbridge.

Further complementary work is also ongoing at the station and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. This includes replacing the waiting room on platforms three and four with step-free access, upgrading the toilets on platforms three and four to create two new step-free accessible toilets, and installing two extra customer information displays, one at each entrance to the new footbridge.

Southeastern train at Petts Wood – with lifts in background (c) Network Rail

These improvements have been funded by the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Access for All scheme.

Petts Wood is the latest station in south-east London and Kent to become fully accessible following Chatham (Jan 2023) and Catford (Summer 2023). Accessibility upgrades at a number of other stations across south-east London and Kent are also currently underway and expected to be completed later this year, including Plumstead (Spring 2024), Bexley (Summer 2024), and Shortlands and Herne Bay, which are due for completion in Spring/Summer 2025.

Southeastern is also upgrading the facilities for customers with accessibility needs at a number of their stations. This includes refurbished accessible toilets at Bexley, Hither Green, and Maze Hill, as well as replacement handrails that aid mobility at New Cross, Beckenham Junction, and Woolwich Dockyard.