Tuesday 18 Nov 2025
Passengers alerted of Stoke-on-Trent station lifts disruption after extreme weather
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
Passengers travelling through Stoke-on-Trent station have been advised that the lifts are currently out-of-order following extreme weather.
The lift serving platform 1 needs to be repaired after heavy rainfall caused damage to the lift shaft and equipment on Friday 31 October. The repairs are scheduled to take until early 2026 due to the extent of the damage and low availability of replacement equipment.
Torrential rain across Staffordshire over the last few months has also caused damage to the roof of the Grade II-listed building, which is being repaired to better protect the lifts and secure the future of the station, which dates back to 1847.
Additional station staff have been provided at the station to help passengers travelling with luggage through the subway, and additional taxis are available to transfer between platforms 1 and 2 where required.
We are working to resolve the ongoing issues with roof leaks in other areas of the station and to reduce the impact on customers and station staff as far as possible.
Alistair Bush, senior asset engineer for Network Rail, said: “We fully appreciate how disruptive to customers it can be whilst the lifts are out-of-order, and the inconvenience it causes to customers travelling through the station. We are doing all we can to minimise the disruption and undertake the work as quickly as possible.
“These repairs may take some time, but the safety of passengers and staff is our top priority.”
Laura Warwick, Avanti West Coast station manager at Stoke-on-Trent, said: “We’re working with Network Rail and industry partners to assist those making journeys while these essential repairs to the lift at Stoke-on-Trent station take place, and would like to thank customers in advance for their patience and understanding.
"As always, our teams will be on hand to help customers travelling to and from Stoke but we strongly recommend customers plan ahead, check before they travel and leave extra time for their journey.”
Network Rail will be providing regular updates as the repairs take place. Passengers should visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information and check with train operating companies for more information on services.
Notes to Editors
- The lift on platform 1 is out of order. While there is no step free access available between platforms, there will be an accessible taxi available to take those needing assistance between the main entrance and platform 2 in both directions.
Contact details for the Passenger Assistance service are as follows:
- Avanti West Coast Assisted Travel – 08000 158 123
- Northern Trains Passenger Assistance – 0800 138 5560
- CrossCountry Trains Travel Assistance – 0800 030 9224
- East Midlands Railway - 08000 113 323
- London Northwestern Railway - 0800 024 8998
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk