Shortlands station near Bromley is to get step-free access, with works on building a new footbridge with lifts due to start in the new year.
CGI of planned lifts and footbridge (c) Network Rail
The station has four platforms on two islands and is raised on an embankment so the railway can pass over the main road next to it. The entrance at street level links to the platforms via a subway running under the railway and stairs up to the platforms.
The plans are to build three lifts and a new footbridge — with two lifts to each of the island platforms and one linked to the ticket office. The subway and stairs will remain in use for most people, with the lifts offering step-free access to the trains.
Aerial view of the station with the planned footbridge (c) Network Rail
The upgrade is being delivered as part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) nationwide Railway Access for All strategy.
The lifts will be Network Rail’s standard 16-person capacity lifts, which are large enough for large wheelchairs and will have doors on each side of the lift so people going in won’t have to reverse to get back out. A new emergency access staircase will also be added to the side of the new footbridge.
There were some local objections to the plans as the footbridge would stand above the station, and most suggested having the lifts linked to the existing subway. A similar scheme had been approved in 2017 but never carried out. However, that option would have likely been considerably more expensive and may have required the station to be closed at times to allow for the subway conversion works to be carried out.
Network Rail says that the work is due to begin in late January 2024, and the station will remain open during the building works. Hoarding will be installed on both platforms to segregate the construction site from commuters.
The upgrade is expected to be completed in late Spring of 2025.
Street view of the station and planned upgrade works (c) Network Rail
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