The Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) were founded on 30th November 1996. From the start, founder member (now President of FoHS) Mike Bishop recognised the flights of 35 steps leading down to each of the platforms of Handforth station as a formidable barrier to rail travel. “They are virtually unusable by physically disabled persons and by those encumbered by pushchairs or awkward luggage,” he says. Mike therefore began a campaign to provide alternative means of access to the platforms.

Mike’s campaign gained support from many, including from members of Handforth Town Council and from the local MPs. The campaign reached a successful conclusion in April 2019, with the award of a grant (then estimated at around £2 million) under the Government’s Access for All scheme.

The past five years have seen surveyors conducting detailed surveys at the station, the drilling of exploratory boreholes next to the northbound platform, the months-long deactivation of a high voltage electricity cable on the southbound side of the station, and more..

On Wednesday 11th September 2024, officers of FoHS attended a status update meeting chaired by Rory Kingdon, Senior Sponsor with Network Rail. Rory presented a draft plan (Figure 1) for the lift installation at Handforth station. New elevated lift access walkways will be constructed as side branches from the existing walkways that lead to the platform staircases.

Due to space constraints imposed by the site, the lift on the northbound platform (lift 2) will be slightly smaller (capacity 13 persons standing) than lift 1 on the southbound platform (capacity 16 persons). New footpaths at platform level will provide access routes between the platforms and the lifts.

The lifts will be powered hydraulically from motor rooms located south of the lift shafts. The installation of the lift motor rooms will result in some reduction in the size of the Rotary garden adjacent to the northbound platform. It will also lead to the removal of the existing waiting shelters and the siting of new waiting shelters further down the platforms.

Mike Bishop commented on the plans: “We hope that the new waiting shelters will be equipped with guttering and downspouts, to permit the collection and storage of rainwater for platform planters.”

Network Rail has also provided a draft timetable for the lift project. It is hoped that the outline design of the works will be complete around the end of December 2024. A daytime/evening public information meeting is planned for early in 2025. The detailed project engineering should be available around May 2025, with construction work expected to start later in the summer. It is anticipated that lift installation will be completed in the Spring of 2026.

Mike Bishop said: “While FoHS have been the main proponents of the lift project, we gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Handforth Town Council. They provided a grant of £5000 towards the costs of a ‘GRIP 2 Study’ – an essential prerequisite for any application to the Access for All scheme – and £150 for an assessment of station accessibility by disabled persons.”

Mike added:: “As the cost of installing the lifts is now currently estimated at around £4.5million, Handforth Town Council seems to have made a wise investment in helping FoHS with our campaign. Our station badly needs this substantial infrastructure, which will be much valued both by Handforth residents and by visitors to the town. “