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Monday 18 Mar 2024

Lift off! Petts Wood station now step-free following accessibility upgrades

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Kent

Southeastern customers are now able to benefit from step-free access at Petts Wood station following the completion of accessibility improvements.

Petts Wood is now a fully accessible station courtesy of a £10.79m programme of accessibility improvements, principally the installation of four new lifts, one serving the station ticket office, two on the station island platforms and the final lift serving the Western Approach entrance.

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.

Now complete, passengers with limited mobility, visual impairments as well as those travelling with pushchairs, bicycles or luggage will be able to move around the station much easier and without the need to travel up or down any stairs.

These improvements have been funded by the Department for Transport’s (DfT) ‘Access for All’ scheme, which is used to create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to the platforms. This generally includes providing lifts or ramps, as well as associated works and refurbishment along the route.

Further complementary work is also ongoing at the station and 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, upgrade 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.

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 complete later this year including Plumstead (Spring 2024), Bexley (Summer 2024), as well as 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.

Kate Warner, Network Rail’s Southern region business development and sponsorship director, said: “I’m delighted we’ve completed accessibility upgrades at Petts Wood, making this another fully accessible station for the benefit of our customers.

“We’re committed to making the railway people’s preferred choice of sustainable travel and making it easy and accessible for all rail users is critical to achieving this.

“We welcome the continued investment from the DfT and are continuing to work hard at other stations in south east London and Kent to make them step-free with Plumstead station and Bexley station both expected to be complete later this year.”

Southeastern’s General Manager North, Sonia Maulson, said: “We want to deliver better journeys and make the railway open for everyone, so it’s great to see another of our stations is now fully step-free.

“To complement the work by our partners at Network Rail we are upgrading two toilets and a waiting room to make them more accessible and welcoming for customers as well as adding new travel information screens too. We believe these improvements will be welcomed by our customers and we look forward to opening the further facilities very soon.”

Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington, said: “I’m delighted that residents in Petts Wood can benefit from this important upgrade. The lifts and island platform extension will make journeys more convenient and assist a range of passengers, from those with mobility concerns; families travelling with young children; to those with heavy luggage. I particularly welcome that new CCTV cameras will help ensure safety on site.

“This is the second major project for our area made possible by government investment under the Access for All Scheme, with a combined £15m award for Petts Wood and St Mary Cray stations.

“My thanks to the Network Rail team for delivering this improvement for constituents, and to my predecessor Lord Jo Johnson who campaigned to secure funding. I’ll continue to work in residents’ interests so that Orpington’s public transport system gets the attention it requires.”