Piling for Wandsworth Town's new lifts is finished, so trains are calling at the island platform again after five months. Lift shafts start in December; step-free access is due in summer 2027.

The foundations for the new lifts at Wandsworth Town station are in, and trains are calling at the station’s island platform again. Network Rail said engineers have finished piling for the lift shafts that will serve platforms 2 and 3. That ends five months of trains leaving from different platforms while the work went on. (Network Rail, 2 November 2026)

Step-free access to every platform is still expected in summer 2027.

What happens next

Network Rail set out the next stages:

  • December 2026: preparation for building the new lift shafts begins.
  • After that: construction of a new second entrance on Odyssey Way, which Network Rail says will let people reach the station from the north.
  • Summer 2027: lifts serving all four platforms, and the new entrance, open.
Network Rail's drawing of Wandsworth Town station, showing platforms 1 to 4, three new lifts running from the existing road and subway level up to the platforms, and the new second entrance at Odyssey Way
Network Rail's plan of the scheme: three new lifts from the subway to the platforms, and a second entrance on Odyssey Way. Image: Network Rail.

Why the platforms kept changing

The island platform in the middle of the station was the hardest part of the job. Network Rail said the original plan was to shut it for up to 12 weeks. Trains heading out of London would not have stopped there, which it said would have meant three months of disruption.

Instead, track and train teams moved trains between platforms during the critical stages of the work. Network Rail said that avoided an estimated £1.2 million in lost fares.

The scheme costs £19.8 million. It is paid for by the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, with what Network Rail calls “significant investment” from Wandsworth Council.

Oliver Rogers, South Western’s strategy and business development director, said the team had “successfully completed one of the most difficult parts of this project, whilst managing to keep trains running for our passengers”.

Cllr Nick Austin, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “It’s great to see real progress being made at our rail stations, helping people get around more quickly and easily.”

What it means for you

  • If you use the island platform, platforms 2 and 3, your trains are back where they were before the works.
  • Platform 4’s stairs are still shut. They closed in April and stay closed until summer 2027 while the new entrance is built. To reach Platform 4, use the stairs to platforms 2 and 3, then walk along to the temporary footbridge, about two minutes, according to Network Rail’s scheme page.
  • The station is not step-free yet. Until summer 2027 the platforms are still reached by stairs. If you need step-free access, National Rail’s Wandsworth Town station page has the current accessibility details and Passenger Assistance booking.
  • More work is coming. Lift shaft construction from December and then the Odyssey Way entrance mean further changes are possible. Check before you travel on National Rail’s engineering works page.

The station is one of two in the borough getting better access. In October, Queenstown Road station in Battersea opened its long-promised second entrance on Patcham Terrace.