Peckham Rye Station has been given £5 million from the government and Southwark Council to address overcrowding concerns – but it still won’t be getting lifts.
It comes after residents told the News last summer that the lack of step-free access in the station was leading to elderly and disabled residents being forced to slide down the stairs on their bottoms.
Peckham Rye had been due to get a £40 million upgrade which would have given it lifts for the first time. However Network Rail shelved the plans last summer, saying it needed to “prioritise funding on the schemes that will make the greatest difference for passengers and economic growth as soon as possible.”
Labour’s Rye Lane ward councillors have also been piling pressure on the government to invest in the accessibility improvements, launching a petition calling for the upgrade to be brought forward.
The £5 million boost, of which £1 million is contributed by Southwark Council, will go towards building two more entrance doors leading into the station, additional ticket gates and widening platforms 3 and 4 to make them safer for passengers during rush hour.
Crucially, however, it is not enough to pay for new lifts, which is the main improvement campaigners have been calling for.
Eileen Conn, a long-time Peckham resident and the founder of the Peckham Vision campaign group, said it was “good news that there will be some easing of the crush at the station which is quite desperate now at times.”
However, she said the funding would do “nothing to improve the accessibility at the station for anyone who has difficulty in walking or carrying luggage. They are excluded altogether from the station.
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“The Government must be told by all our elected representatives and the public that these improvements do not solve the problems of overcrowding and inaccessibility. The current plans are that nothing will be done to get lifts at the station, and deal adequately with the serious overcrowding leaving and entering the station until 2033 at the earliest and even later. “
Cllr David Parton, a Labour councillor for Rye Lane who has been calling for the station to be given step-free access, said: “We’re pleased that our local Labour campaign has secured this significant investment for the much-needed upgrade to Peckham Rye Station.
“Combined with the construction of Peckham Station Square, due to begin soon, this will help transform the heart of Rye Lane and ease overcrowding in and around the station.
“While we are disappointed that the full funding for the new station entrance and lift access has not been provided, we will keep on campaigning for a fully accessible, safe Peckham Rye Station for all.”
In addition to the safety upgrades, the booking hall will also be getting a revamp to restore it to its 1930s heritage look with fresh paint, improved lighting and clearer signage.
The upgrades will be carried out over the next few years, with the ticket hall improvements and platform widening expected to be completed by summer 2027.
There is also a long-delayed project to revamp the space outside of the station, with the 1930s arcade set to come down this year to make way for a new public square.
But it doesn’t look like the station will be getting its much-needed lifts any time soon.
