South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail are set to discuss the ongoing issues with the new lifts at Teddington Station during a community event tomorrow (Thursday, 6 November).

Richmond Transport & Mobility Forum, which is being hosted by local charity Ruils, will take place at The Patch in Twickenham from 2pm – 4pm on Thursday,.

The event will take place at The Patch in Twickenham next Thursday (Credit: Ruils)

The new lifts officially opened in March after a five-month delay.

Originally, the lifts were set to open in October, but this was delayed until the end of December, and was then again delayed until March.

They were built to improve accessibility for elderly and disabled travellers, as well as families with young children and heavy prams.

The £3.6m 'Access for All' scheme began in September 2023 and saw two lifts opening between the two platforms on Station Road and Victoria Road.

The two lifts have a capacity of 16 people each.

However, since their opening, the lifts have often been out of service causing obstacles for people who need to use them.

According to local resident, William Wilson, the "long-awaited lifts" have been out of service since 11 September.

The new lifts at Teddington Station have frequently been out of service since their opening (Credit: William Wilson)

He told Teddington Nub News: "After five years in the planning and almost two years in construction at a cost of £3.6m, the lifts have been operational for about three months.

"There does not seem to be any prospect of them being fixed anytime soon.

"Apparently, someone was trapped in a lift, and the fire brigade had to "vandalise" the lifts to get them out. Surely the lifts should have been tested properly - Balfour Beatty were certainly paid enough for what should surely have been two fairly simple pieces of construction and two lifts.

"Bad enough for passengers with heavy suitcases but a disaster for wheelchair users and for those with pushchairs and prams." 

A person got trapped in the lifts last month (Credit: William Wilson)

A Network Rail spokesperson previously told Nub News: "We're really sorry for the continued disruption caused by the lifts being out of service at Teddington station.

"Network Rail's engineers rebuilt lift one following the delivery of the replacement parts on Friday, but during the mandatory safety testing process, a software fault was identified.

"Our teams are currently waiting for a final sign off before the lifts can enter into service, and we're hopeful that this can be completed as soon as possible."

Local MP, Munira Wilson, has also taken to social media to complain about the lifts, saying: "Like many constituents, I am more and more frustrated with the shocking quality of train service in our area. Yesterday, I challenged SWR to do better, including delivering a better service and fixing the mess that is Teddington Station’s lifts."