When the Lift Is Out of Order: Step-Free Travel That Stops Working

Published 9 November 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

If a lift is out of order on a step-free journey on the Tube, London Overground or Elizabeth line, tell a member of staff or press the information button on a Help Point. TfL's published policy is that staff will help you plan another step-free route, and if there is no reasonable alternative, TfL books an accessible taxi at its own cost to the next usable station or to the station you were going to, anywhere in Greater London.

That is the rule. The difficulty is that a lift rarely fails at a convenient moment. It can be out before you leave the hotel, at the station where you start, at the station where you change, or at the one where you planned to get off, and each of those needs a slightly different response. This page goes through them in order, and through what the National Rail companies have to do, because their rules are written by a different regulator.

Our step-by-step guide to London transport in a wheelchair already covers the basic procedure and the ramps, and the network as a whole is described in step-free and accessible transport in London. This page assumes you know those and are dealing with a lift that has stopped.

How often a step-free route breaks

More often than the map suggests. On the morning of 9 November 2026, TfL's live lift disruption feed listed 16 lifts at 13 stations with step-free access withdrawn. Most notices gave the reason as a faulty lift; a few were planned maintenance; and one station had lost its step-free access because no staff were available, which matters if you need a ramp laid to reach the train.

The notices are precise, and worth reading slowly. They rarely close a whole station. Instead they say that step-free access is not available to one platform, one line or one direction: trains towards one terminus but not the other, or the street exit from two platforms out of four. A station can therefore be perfectly usable on the way out and unusable on the way back. Every notice in that morning's list ended with the same instruction: call 0343 222 1234 if you need help planning your journey.

Checking before you set out

TfL publishes lift status in two places. The TfL Go app shows it alongside line status and offers step-free routes in its journey planner. On the website, the status page has a section called "Stations, lifts and escalators" listing current faults and planned works. TfL's Journey Planner also offers step-free options. Our page on the apps worth having in London covers TfL Go.

Two habits help. Check the station where you will change trains as carefully as the ones at each end, because an interchange is where a step-free route most often depends on a single lift. And if a planned closure appears, look at the dates: lift replacement can take months. The one long-running lift replacement in TfL's list on 9 November 2026 was expected to last for months, and its notice named two bus routes to the nearest step-free alternative, which is the kind of detail worth noting down.

If the lift is out at the station where you start

Find a member of staff at the gateline or in the ticket hall, or press the information button on a Help Point. Say where you are going and that you need a step-free route. TfL's turn up and go service, which needs no booking on the Tube, Overground or Elizabeth line, includes letting you know about unplanned disruption and suggesting alternative step-free routes.

TfL's wording on what comes next is specific, so here it is as published: "If there isn't a reasonable alternative route, we'll book you an accessible taxi (at our cost). The taxi will take you to another step-free station from where you can continue your journey, or to your destination station within the Greater London area – whichever is quicker and more convenient for you." TfL adds that this could be a Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR or National Rail station, or a tram stop.

Note what that promise is and is not. It is a taxi to a station, not to your hotel or the museum door, and it applies when there is no reasonable alternative route. A bus that runs to the next step-free station may count as a reasonable alternative. Ask staff what they are offering, and if a taxi is booked, ask roughly how long it will take to arrive.

If the station entrance has a queue, as it may during disruption, TfL says disabled passengers, and the assistants or carers travelling with them, should be let in without queueing. Find someone in uniform and say so.

If the lift fails where you change or get off

This is the harder case, because you find out on the train or on the platform. Three things help.

• Use turn up and go even if you do not need a ramp. Staff who put you on the train also ring ahead to the stations where you change and get off, so that someone is waiting. That phone call is how a failed lift at the far end is usually discovered before you reach it.
• Use the Help Point on the platform. TfL puts Help Points on platforms, in walkways and in ticket halls. The information button reaches staff; the other button is for emergencies only. Many have an induction loop for hearing aids.
• Do not leave a step-free platform for one that is not. In our view, if you learn on the train that the lift ahead is out, staying on to the next step-free station and asking staff there is usually simpler than getting off somewhere you cannot leave.

One detail of TfL's service surprises people: staff walk you to the lift, then take another route and are waiting when the doors open on the right floor.

The DLR, trams, buses and the river

Every DLR station has lifts or ramps from street to train, but most DLR stations are unstaffed. Staff ride on the trains instead, and assistance can be pre-booked on 0808 281 6655. Our guide to the DLR and the Overground describes the network.

Trams, piers, the cable car and buses are all step-free, according to TfL, and buses are the most useful fallback when a lift fails. Every London bus service is wheelchair accessible, and under TfL's Conditions of Carriage wheelchair and mobility scooter users travel free on any bus at all times. The same conditions set size limits: wheelchairs up to 70cm wide and 120cm long unfolded, within the weight limit shown by the ramp or doorway. Our guide to London's buses covers routes and fares.

On National Rail, the rule comes from the regulator

Main-line stations such as Clapham Junction, London Bridge or Victoria's main-line side are run by rail companies or Network Rail, not by TfL, and the TfL taxi promise does not automatically apply there. Instead, every train and station operator must have an Accessible Travel Policy approved by the Office of Rail and Road. The regulator's guidance, in its October 2025 edition, sets out what those policies must contain.

Among them: operators must set out how they will provide, without extra charge, an appropriate alternative accessible service to take disabled passengers to the nearest or most convenient accessible station from where they can continue their journey. That applies where a station is inaccessible to you, where the train is, and where disruption at short notice makes the service inaccessible. The guidance adds that a taxi offered this way is not always a purpose-built accessible taxi; the vehicle should depend on what you need, which staff should discuss with you first.

The same guidance requires operators to keep their station information up to date when facilities such as lifts are out of order. National Rail's station pages are where that appears. National Rail also lets you book Passenger Assist up to two hours before you travel, or turn up and ask staff or use a Help Point. Complimentary wheelchairs are available at some National Rail and Elizabeth line stations, but TfL says none are available at Tube, Overground or DLR stations.

With a pushchair, a suitcase or a walking frame

A broken lift affects far more people than wheelchair users. TfL says its turn up and go service is available to everyone, families and groups included, so anyone can ask staff for an alternative route. TfL's taxi promise is written for people who need step-free access, so do not assume it extends to a heavy suitcase.

Escalators are the usual way round for everyone else, and the Conditions of Carriage set the limits. You may not use an escalator seated in a wheelchair. A single buggy may go on an escalator; a double or tandem buggy must be folded first, and one that cannot be folded must not use a moving escalator at all. Our pages on getting around with a pushchair and luggage on the Tube cover the stairs-and-escalators side, and mobility scooters have rules of their own on our scooter page.

Afterwards: refunds and complaints

If the detour made you late, TfL's service delay refunds apply to Tube and DLR journeys delayed by 15 minutes or more, and Overground and Elizabeth line journeys delayed by 30 minutes or more, for reasons within TfL's control. The Conditions of Carriage exclude delays caused by planned engineering works. Our page on service delay refunds explains how to claim.

If staff did not help, or a promised taxi never came, complain to TfL first. If you are not satisfied with the answer, the Conditions of Carriage name London TravelWatch, the independent transport watchdog for London, as the next step. For a National Rail station, complain to the train or station company that runs it.

Frequently asked questions

Will TfL pay for a taxi if the lift is broken?

Yes, if there is no reasonable alternative step-free route. TfL says it books an accessible taxi at its own cost, either to another step-free station where you can continue or to your destination station within Greater London, whichever is quicker and more convenient for you.

How do I check whether a Tube station lift is working?

Use the TfL Go app or the "Stations, lifts and escalators" section of TfL's status page, which list faults and planned works. Check the station where you change trains as well as both ends, and look again before your return journey, because faults appear during the day.

What should I do if I arrive at a station and the lift is out of order?

Tell a member of staff or press the information button on a Help Point on the platform. Staff can plan an alternative step-free route and, if none is reasonable, arrange an accessible taxi. In our view, staying on the train to the next step-free station is usually easier than getting off.

Do rail companies have to help if a National Rail station lift fails?

Yes. The Office of Rail and Road requires train and station operators to provide, without extra charge, alternative accessible transport to the nearest or most convenient accessible station when a station is inaccessible to a disabled passenger. Ask station staff or use the Help Point.

Can I use a broken-lift taxi if I have a pushchair?

TfL's taxi commitment is written for passengers who need step-free access. Its turn up and go help is open to everyone, families included, so ask staff for the best alternative route, but do not count on a taxi for a pushchair or suitcase.

Sources

• Transport for London - Help from staff (checked November 2026)
• Transport for London - Stations, lifts and escalators: works and closures (checked November 2026)
• Transport for London - Live lift disruptions feed (read 9 November 2026)
• Transport for London - Conditions of Carriage, 24 September 2026 (checked November 2026)
• Office of Rail and Road - Accessible Travel Policy guidance, October 2025 (checked November 2026)
• National Rail - Passenger Assist (checked November 2026)
• London TravelWatch (checked November 2026)