Trivia: Tube stations with lift access only

[Martin1988]

I would be interested to find out, which of the London Underground Stations have lift access only between street level and the station platforms-ie where there are no escalators and lifts are the main source of access?

The ones I am aware of are Covent Garden, Elephant and Castle, Russel Square, Lambeth North and Borough but I understand there are others. Does anyone have any idea of what the other ones are?

 

[DJL]

Goodge Street

 

[bluegoblin7]

Edgware Road (Bakerloo)

 

[jopsuk]

Are any of them "accesible"? I know Covent Garden isn't, there's a short flight of steps to platform level

 

[Martin1988]

Lambeth North, Elephant Castle and Russel Square do not appear to be accessible to wheelchair users but I'm not sure about Borough.

 

[Mojo]

No stations have lift access only - where lifts are the primary means of vertical transportation there is always a staircase alongside.

In addition to those already identified, there is:
Belsize Park
Caledonian Road, Chalk Farm
Hampstead, Holland Park, Holloway Road
Kennington
Lancaster Gate
Mornington Crescent
Queensway
Regents Park
Tufnell Park
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Are any of them "accesible"? I know Covent Garden isn't, there's a short flight of steps to platform level

As far as I can recall; the only such station is Caledonian Road

 

[Dstock7080]

+ Gloucester Road (PICC), also not accessible

 

[spinba11]

Can Earls Court (pic line) be counted?

 

[Mojo]

Can Earls Court (pic line) be counted?

There are two escalators from a lower concourse (accessed down the stairs from the District line platforms), which go to the Piccadilly line platforms.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I know it's not London Underground any more, but Essex Road on the Northern City Line is lifts (and the stairs are locked out of use).

There is a staircase at Hampstead, but I won't be using it in a hurry!

 

[tom1649]

I know it's not London Underground any more, but Essex Road on the Northern City Line is lifts (and the stairs are locked out of use).

Stairs still accessible in an emergency though one would hope.

 

[edwin_m]

I think it's Essex Road that has the oddity that the lift lobby is below rail level with stairs up to the platforms. I found a post on a forum somewhere suggesting that this was probably due to unstable ground at the level they would have normally used, where it was OK to make vertical shafts but horizontal passages would have been difficult.

 

[Giugiaro]

One question though. With these stations where lifts are the main connection between street and platform, how do they manage an emergency evacuation with a fire, for exemple, where lifts are commonly out of use for security purposes? And are there plans to replace lifts for escalators and stairs in the future to cope with safety standards?

 

[user15681]

One question though. With these stations where lifts are the main connection between street and platform, how do they manage an emergency evacuation with a fire, for exemple, where lifts are commonly out of use for security purposes? And are there plans to replace lifts for escalators and stairs in the future to cope with safety standards?

Every station with a lift as main access from street to platform has to have emergency stairs, I believe. Someone will be able to confirm the official standards. Most of the emergency stair cases can be used if you prefer them to the lift, they're just not signposted that well because there are normally about 100 stairs, or more.

 

[swj99]

......
Hampstead......

I remember that one. It's a long walk. I went there with a friend of mine in the late 80s, who was scared of lifts. It took us about 15 minutes to walk up the stairs.

 

[user15681]

I remember that one. It's a long walk. I went there with a friend of mine in the late 80s, who was scared of lifts. It took us about 15 minutes to walk up the stairs.

Hampstead has the deepest platforms on the Underground, so that makes sense. Something like just over 300 steps.

 

[Martin1988]

Thanks to those who have responded so far.

I've previously used the stairs at Covent Garden, Elephant and Castle,Gloucester Road, Russel Square, Lambeth North, Borough and Regents Park. I'm pretty sure that at all these examples, there were signs at platform level instructing you not to use the stairs except in emergency.

As most people may or may not be aware this instruction seems to be relayed to passengers more at Covent Garden with notices and tannoy announcements advising passengers of the number of steps and instructing passengers to wait for the lift. I don't mind admitting that I'm one of many people who has ignored this.

I seem to remember that at both Elephant and Castle and Russel Square, the spiral staircase had a sign stating "Stairs to trains" and at Lambeth North there was a sign stating the number of steps contained within the staircase.

I remember an instance when I went to Covent Garden during a busy shopping day a few days after Christmas and the stairs were only available to passengers exiting the station. There were actually station staff enforcing this as well. From memory two of the lifts were transporting passengers upwards and the other two were transporting passengers downwards. I also remember an instance also around Christmas time when I travelled from Russel Square and there was a sign at platform level instructing passengers to use the lifts and that the stairs were for passengers exiting the station only. I never understood why the stairs were only available for passengers exiting at either example bearing in mind there were signs at both stations instructing you not to use the stairs to exit.

 

[Mojo]

I never understood why the stairs were only available for passengers exiting at either example bearing in mind there were signs at both stations instructing you not to use the stairs to exit.

It is generally accepted that in cases of crowding it is better to let people exit the premises rather than enter them. Given that people passing two ways on the stairs can cause congestion (as most people prefer to use a spiral staircase towards the outside) then it makes sense to prevent customers from going down the stairs; accordingly the numbers of customers at platform level is reduced and regulated, and it makes it easier for someone to exit.

 

[hassaanhc]

Thanks to those who have responded so far.

I've previously used the stairs at Covent Garden, Elephant and Castle,Gloucester Road, Russel Square, Lambeth North, Borough and Regents Park. I'm pretty sure that at all these examples, there were signs at platform level instructing you not to use the stairs except in emergency.

As most people may or may not be aware this instruction seems to be relayed to passengers more at Covent Garden with notices and tannoy announcements advising passengers of the number of steps and instructing passengers to wait for the lift. I don't mind admitting that I'm one of many people who has ignored this.

I seem to remember that at both Elephant and Castle and Russel Square, the spiral staircase had a sign stating "Stairs to trains" and at Lambeth North there was a sign stating the number of steps contained within the staircase.

I remember an instance when I went to Covent Garden during a busy shopping day a few days after Christmas and the stairs were only available to passengers exiting the station. There were actually station staff enforcing this as well. From memory two of the lifts were transporting passengers upwards and the other two were transporting passengers downwards. I also remember an instance also around Christmas time when I travelled from Russel Square and there was a sign at platform level instructing passengers to use the lifts and that the stairs were for passengers exiting the station only. I never understood why the stairs were only available for passengers exiting at either example bearing in mind there were signs at both stations instructing you not to use the stairs to exit.

At Canning Town there are a set of stairs between P3/4 (Upper DLR) and P5/6 (Jubilee) which are marked as "Emergency Exit Only" that people (including me) regularly use, as they provide easy access to the front of the Westbound Jubilee Line trains and Beckton/Woolwich DLR services and are not as busy. The nearest set of escalators & stairs line up with the 4th or 5th car of a Westbound Jubilee so it saves time dodging past people on the platform to get to the front (lots of seats available and also lines up with exit/interchange at Waterloo )

 

[317666]

Stairs still accessible in an emergency though one would hope.

Last time I was at Essex Road, the stairs were open at the bottom but locked at the top. Not sure how safe that is in an emergency...

The other day I decided to walk up the stairs at Hampstead just for the hell of it, and because there was a long queue for the lifts - the face of the member of staff on the gateline when I got to the top was absolutely priceless! I find it interesting that the station on London Underground with the deepest lifts (Hampstead) is only two stops away from that with the shallowest (Chalk Farm).

 

[Martin1988]

It is generally accepted that in cases of crowding it is better to let people exit the premises rather than enter them. Given that people passing two ways on the stairs can cause congestion (as most people prefer to use a spiral staircase towards the outside) then it makes sense to prevent customers from going down the stairs; accordingly the numbers of customers at platform level is reduced and regulated, and it makes it easier for someone to exit.

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I think that makes sense.

Thinking back to the time when it happened at Covent Garden, is it possible that restricting access to the stairs for passengers going down into the platform and having a more robust queuing system in place for the lifts, would have been done deliberatley in order to make the station less crowded and encourage some people to travel from an alternative station such as Leicester Square. I do remember whilst I was there on that day they put out announcements informing passengers that Leicester Square was a short walk away which I don't think I've heard any other times.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Last time I was at Essex Road, the stairs were open at the bottom but locked at the top. Not sure how safe that is in an emergency...

It'll be fine, I imagine the door at the top has a push-rail for opening. They just don't want people using the stairs rather than the lift.

Most staircases are spiral stairs, so they don't want crowds of people going in opposite directions. Where escalator works are taking place they normally have the staircase for entrance rather than exit, so I am surprised that they would do that at Covent Garden.

Not that it makes much difference; Covent Garden will become exit only from next week.

 

[Mikey C]

The stairs at Queensway are fairly well used, both up and down, only 100 odd steps to the top.
The Northern Line has a lot of stations with lifts only, so on strike days it can be a lot faster as these stations tend to shut (they were all shut when the fire brigade took action for example). Running non stop through Hampstead, Chalk Farm, Mornington Crescent and Goodge Street sped things up nicely

 

[Lockwood]

Can you get into trouble for using the "Emergency Exit Only" stairs when there is no emergency?
Some bylaw or something, or is it just a courtesy thing?

 

[Clip]

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I think that makes sense.

Thinking back to the time when it happened at Covent Garden, is it possible that restricting access to the stairs for passengers going down into the platform and having a more robust queuing system in place for the lifts, would have been done deliberatley in order to make the station less crowded and encourage some people to travel from an alternative station such as Leicester Square. I do remember whilst I was there on that day they put out announcements informing passengers that Leicester Square was a short walk away which I don't think I've heard any other times.

That announcement still gets played on the trains IIRC and didnt it used to exit only on a saturday or something for years due to the sheer crowds of people that want to there? If going into town I always get off at Holborn on the Central now rather than connect with the PIcc and just walk in.

 

[Dstock7080]

This will resume soon, as from 1 March westbound trains will not stop at Covent Garden and the station will be exit only at weekends until early November.

 

[Tetchytyke]

They're replacing the lifts.

I took the stickers on the Piccadilly Line to mean that it'll be exit only at all times, but it'll just be on weekends that the westbound trains won't stop.

I prefer using Leicester Square or Holborn and walking up Long Acre anyway, though, much better than the scrum for the lift.

 

[spinba11]

Arctic troll is right, exit only all week westbound trains nonstop at weekends.

 

[Deerfold]

Thanks to those who have responded so far.

I've previously used the stairs at Covent Garden, Elephant and Castle,Gloucester Road, Russel Square, Lambeth North, Borough and Regents Park. I'm pretty sure that at all these examples, there were signs at platform level instructing you not to use the stairs except in emergency.

As most people may or may not be aware this instruction seems to be relayed to passengers more at Covent Garden with notices and tannoy announcements advising passengers of the number of steps and instructing passengers to wait for the lift. I don't mind admitting that I'm one of many people who has ignored this.

I seem to remember that at both Elephant and Castle and Russel Square, the spiral staircase had a sign stating "Stairs to trains" and at Lambeth North there was a sign stating the number of steps contained within the staircase.

I think most stations mention the number of stairs. At Lambeth North it's not a large number.

At Covent Garden there's a sign along the lines of "these steps are approximately the same height as a 10 storey building". I have walked up them once. It was harder than the stairs up to the 10th floor office I usually work in.

 

[fsmr]

I think most stations mention the number of stairs. At Lambeth North it's not a large number.

At Covent Garden there's a sign along the lines of "these steps are approximately the same height as a 10 storey building". I have walked up them once. It was harder than the stairs up to the 10th floor office I usually work in.

Russell Squares sign is 175 steps or 15 floors, so I waited for the lift to be fixed!! the other week