Plans have been submitted to install a new lift at Lawrence Hill train station to make it accessible to everyone. This would make the railway station, which first opened in 1863, step-free.
The project is set to be funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. Network Rail have submitted the plans to Bristol City Council, ahead of final business case approval in the autumn.
If approved by the local planning authority, the scheme will see a lift installed on platform 2 (the southbound platform heading towards Bristol Temple Meads) which currently only has steps. Platform 1 currently has step-free access through the Lidl car park.
Helen Godwin, the Mayor of the West of England, said:
“For too long, Lawrence Hill train station has not been fully accessible – leaving parents struggling on the stairs with prams and excluding many Disabled and older people from train travel.
“All of our stations should be accessible to everyone, so it’s exciting to see these plans submitted for regional funding to make Lawrence Hill step-free.
“While we continue building new stations in this new chapter for the West, and plan for how best to invest some of the record £752 million for transport secured at the Spending Review to increase the frequency of services across our suburban network, our region’s older stations need investment.
“Listening to local people, we will be exploring how to make more of those stations more accessible too.”
Marcus Jones, Western Route Director at Network Rail, said:
“With the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority we’re embarking on the biggest rail regeneration for the region in decades with more stations, more services and improvements across the railway. Improving accessibility at Lawrence Hill has been a priority for us and we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to provide step-free access to platform 2, allowing both sides of the station to be easily accessible for the first time.
“We want to welcome everyone onto the railway, and providing a lift at Lawrence Hill station will make travelling by train much easier for those with reduced mobility, people with pushchairs, cyclists, and passengers carrying heavy luggage.”
Lawrence Hill is on the Severn Beach Line and over 350,000 people use the station each year. Whilst the lift is being installed, the current steps on platform 2 will be demolished and a temporary footbridge from platform 1 will be installed.
Improving accessibility at station forms part of the wider £400 million rail upgrade across the West, creating new stations and increasing train services to better connect communities.
Two new railway stations have opened in the region since 2023, Portway Park & Ride and Ashley Down. Five more will be built in the coming years: Charfield, Henbury, North Filton, Pill, and Portishead.
People can review and comment on the planning application (25/13364/RA) via Bristol City Council’s planning portal.