Acton Town station is among 28 London Underground stations where lifts can now automatically report when they are out of service, as part of a Transport for London (TfL) upgrade aimed at improving step-free journey planning.
TfL said a third of lifts across its transport network now “self-report” faults, meaning real-time updates can reach tools such as TfL Go and Journey Planner more quickly. Step-free access is crucial for some disabled passengers as well as people with prams, pushchairs and luggage.
Other stations with the upgraded system include Bond Street, London Bridge, Tottenham Court Road, Green Park, North Greenwich, Farringdon and Morden. According to TfL, 93 lifts at the 28 stations have been upgraded so far, removing the need for station staff to log an outage before it appears in customer information.
Emma Strain, TfL’s customer director, said: “It’s so important that people have access to accurate information when they plan journeys on our network, and that’s especially true for those who need step-free access.”
The deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, said the technology was “an important step forward”.
Michael Roberts, chief executive of London TravelWatch, called it “a positive move in the right direction”, but said “there is much still to do”, including improving staff availability and rolling out disability equality training.
According to TfL, it plans more than 20 further lift upgrades by the end of March 2026, with a second phase from 2026 extending the technology across the network.
