Station lift delayed further

A lift to provide step-free access to Platform 1 at Hertford North has again hit snags due to structural and cost issues.

Work was previously scheduled to begin last month (Janaury 2025), having already been delayed from April 2024.

Local councillors including Peter Ruffles have been lobbying for a lift for over ten years.

Platforms 2 and 3 have been served by a lift since 1990.

Local MP Josh Dean raised the matter on the House Of Commons yesterday during Transport Questions, hghlighting Network Rail's continued delays to the lift. The Transport Minister agreed to meet with him to discuss how the project can be progressed.

Last month Mr.Dean was joined by the town's Green and Conservative County Councillors in writing to Network rail urgently seeing clarification as to when a lift will be delivered.

We are writing regarding the promised lift for Platform 1 at Hertford North station following concerning reports that Network Rail intends to delay the start of this work again – meaning it will not be completed until at least 2026.

As you will know, a lift to Platform 1 has long been promised by Network Rail, funded by the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme which was first announced back in 2019.

However, this work has been continuously pushed back, affecting residents in our community who travel for work, education, or leisure, and those who wish to travel to our town.

In some cases, disabled or less mobile travellers, as well as parents of young children with pushchairs, have reported having to board another train as they are unable to use the stairs, travel further down the line, and change again to return to Hertford North via Platform 2 so that they can make use of the lift there. This is clearly not acceptable.

This latest delay follows reports at the end of 2024 that Network Rail had “significantly underperformed” in the Access for All scheme, with a £99 million underspend and failure to complete 72 projects in its programme over the previous five years.

We received an update from Network Rail in early November providing reassurances that this work would be commencing in early 2025, with a target completion date of mid 2026. We are requesting an urgent update on the planned works to install a lift for Platform 1 and to meet with you at the earliest opportunity to discuss the impact of continued delays on our residents and the importance of this project to our community.

We look forward to receiving your reply.

Josh Dean MP for Hertford and Stortford
Cllr Ben Crystal, All Saints Hertford
Cllr Bob Deering, St.Andrew's Hertford

Charlotte Harries, Senior Public Affairs Manager for the Eastern Region, responded, saying: "I am sorry for the frustration and inconvenience caused to your constituents by the ongoing delays with this project. I understand the impact this has on passengers, especially those with reduced mobility, parents with pushchairs, and other travellers wanting to access the wider network. At Network Rail, ensuring accessibility for all passengers is a priority.

"Whilst we have successfully completed a number of Access for All schemes across Britain, we have experienced challenges with some of the more complex schemes including at Hertford North. This is something we take very seriously, and we have carried out a comprehensive review of how we can better manage these projects in future. This includes bringing all Access for All schemes within the same team across the Eastern region, meaning we can share best practices across projects and ensure we complete this work at the best value for the taxpayer.

"While we remain fully committed to delivering this essential improvement, unforeseen challenges have impacted the project timeline over the last year. These have included:

• The structural implications of adding a lift and further load to the existing platform structure. A plan to manage this has now been agreed.
• Continuing inflation in construction prices over the past few years, leading the contractor on this scheme to supply prices for completion beyond the project's budget.

"Due to these challenges, we have decided to re-tender the project. This means that we are seeking a new contractor to come forward who will be able to deliver the project within its budget.

"We know how important this project is to passengers, which is why we remain committed to finding solutions to the problems that the project has faced to date. Because of these issues, however, we won’t be able to meet the timeline we had previously intended to. While we plan to appoint a new contractor for the works during 2025, we are not currently able to confirm when physical works will commence.

"I understand that this will be a disappointing update, but hope it provides clarity as to the state of the project. Please rest assured that we remain committed to delivering this vital improvement as swiftly as possible."