Loughborough Junction station could finally be made fully step-free after Lambeth Council announced funding has been secured to explore potential designs.
It comes after the News reported on concerns last year that Loughborough Junction, which contains just one steep flight of stairs to a single island platform, posed a safety risk to commuters during rush hour, while leaving the disabled and elderly unable to use the station.
Network Rail has been given £75,000 to begin looking at the potential ways the station could be made fully accessible, according to Lambeth Council.
It will look at not only options to give the station step-free access but also safety infrastructure works at both platform and street level.
The feasibility study will begin in the spring and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
It is the first formal stage required before funding can be granted by the Department for Transport for the upgrade itself.
The station is too small to fit a lift inside, so it would need to be expanded into two empty railway arches next to the current entrance which are leased from Network Rail to the Arch Company. Network Rail would have the right to buy these back to expand the station under the terms of the lease agreement. Alternatively, a different building altogether may be required.
Nick Lewis from the campaign group Lift Up Loughborough Junction, who has been campaigning for years for the station to be made step-free, told us previously that the issues surrounding the station had become more pressing because of the increase in the number of passengers using the station.
His own analysis of figures from the Office of Rail and Road and data from train operating companies shows that Loughborough Junction saw an increase in footfall from 1.08 million in 2019–20 to 1.12 million in 2024–25; a 13.5 per cent rise.
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Currently, when you enter the station and get through the ticket barriers, there is just one steep, long flight of stairs leading up to the platform.
“It worries me because if someone at the top slipped they would just come cascading down,” Nick, a retired engineer who has lived in the area for decades, told us in December.
Responding to the news of the latest study, he said: “The value of a feasibility study, and its credibility with the growing number of station users, depends on its legal scope as well as the willingness of local and national authorities to push the project forward, which is why we look forward to working closely with the Council and Network Rail at this critical early stage of the project.”
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Lambeth’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said: “This is an important step towards the aim we share with our residents to get step-free access into Loughborough Junction Station.
“We look forward to working with local people as this project progresses.
“As a borough where most journeys are made by walking, cycling and public transport, projects like this are essential.”
Lambeth Council added it had played a “central role in pushing the project forward, including previously funding a desktop study that helped secure Section 106 contributions from developers.”
An Option Selection Report will now be produced by Network Rail and will be used to secure further Government funding needed to complete the project.
Paul Richmond, Network Rail’s Principal Programme Sponsor, said: “We are pleased to be working with Lambeth Council on an Option Selection Study for step-free access at Loughborough Junction Station.
“This study will play an important role in strengthening the case for future funding, and we look forward to working on design options that will improve accessibility for passengers and make a meaningful difference to their journeys.”
