Crossrail and Transport for London (TfL) have awarded a major contract to Kone for around 50 incline lifts for the new Crossrail stations.
The contract, which also includes five lifts for Bank, Greenford and Hammersmith Tube stations, will see Crossrail pioneer the use of incline lifts to deliver step-free access at two of the major central London stations.
Four incline lifts will run alongside escalators at Farringdon and Liverpool Street Crossrail stations where it is not possible to install vertical lifts.
London Underground will also install an incline lift at Greenford station by 2014.
Martin Rowark, Crossrail’s procurement director, said: “All Crossrail stations in central London will have step-free access from street to train. The new incline lifts offer an added benefit by allowing groups travelling together to have passengers with wheelchairs, buggies or large baggage to take an incline lift while friends and family take an escalator directly alongside.”
The contract, which is valued at around £45 million, includes maintenance for a period of 22 years.
Further lifts may be able to be added to this contract as other step-free access projects are delivered across TfL.
Miles Ashley, London’s Underground programme director of stations, said: “Greenford station will benefit from the first of the five incline lifts and represents an innovative approach in providing our customers with improved access.
“Incline lifts simply afford us with better opportunities to facilitate access where more traditional lift arrangements prove impossible to accommodate.”
