The Tube continues in its accessibility aims

The London Underground was the first underground railway system in the world and the first station opened in 1863. The tube has come a long way since then, and handles up to five million passenger journeys per day. With 270 tube stations in total, making the tube accessible is an enormous undertaking with the deepest station being Hampstead at 58.5 metres.

Currently 70 of these stations are step free and the further six stations are continuing the aim to an accessible underground. With many older adults reliant on public transport, the increased accessibility and facilities such as disabled bathrooms are moving towards making the world’s oldest underground railway accessible to everyone.

These six stations are set to be revamped over the next five years, with London Underground looking for contractors to come up with innovative new ways to make the stations step free. It is hoped that the methods used to transform these six stations could be replicated across the rest of the network and provide much more accessible travel. 

London Underground's managing director, Mark Wild said: "Improving accessibility across London to enable all Londoners and visitors to the city to travel spontaneously and independently is one of our top priorities,”

"We have made good progress but we're determined to accelerate the pace so that this vision becomes a reality for the millions of people who use our network every day.

“We are investing more than ever before and I'm delighted that we're now in a position to confirm the next tranche of stations to benefit from this unprecedented investment."

The stations that will be seeing renovations include Amersham, Buckhurst Hill, Cockfosters, Mill Hill East and South Woodford. The Mayor’s investment over the next five years will be the grandest that the Underground has seen since it was originally built.

Image Credit: Trowbridge Estate