Last Wooden Escalator in London Underground to be Replaced by Elevator

Alperton Tube station in London, England, which has the last wooden escalator on the London Underground, is set to receive two new elevators, making the station fully step-free and accessible for the first time, Ian Visits reports. The wooden escalator was taken from the Dome of Discovery at the Festival of Britain and reinstalled at the Alperton Tube station in November 1955. The escalator that was limited to the London-bound platform and usually only worked in the up direction was decommissioned in 1988. Brent Council has agreed to contribute up to half of the costs — capped at GBP5 million (US$6.8 million) — to the installation of the two new elevators at the station. One of the elevators will take the place of the wooden escalator, which remains in place, hidden behind a closed-off wall. The project that is estimated to cost between GBP10 million (US$13.6 million) and GBP16 million (US$21.7 million) comes as approximately 6,000 additional homes are expected to be built in the local area. Six hundred homes will be designed to be wheelchair accessible. While Transport for London has yet to confirm its side of the funding and planning approval, the escalator is set to be replaced by summer 2027.