A major milestone towards improving the accessibility of Hither Green station for Southeastern passengers has been achieved.

Major progress has been made at Hither Green station over the early May bank holiday weekend as part of the Access for All programme.

A new footbridge linking all platforms to the new station entrances at Fernbrook Road and Springbank Road was successfully lifted into place on Saturday 2 May using two 500 tonne and 650 tonne cranes, representing a major milestone in the programme to improve accessibility and customer movement across the station.

The programme will also see the installation of four new 16-person lifts, staircases and a link passageway between platforms 4 and 5.

Once completed, the new facilities will provide step-free access from street level to the footbridge and across all platforms, significantly improving access for disabled customers and customers traveling with luggage or pushchairs.  

When the £28m programme funded by the Department for Transport is complete by summer 2027, there will be step-free access from the street to the platform for the first time.

In addition, new CCTV will be installed as well as a public announcement (PA) system and customer information system (CIS), ticket vending machine (TVM) and Oyster card readers.

The programme will also undertake reinstatement of the adjacent nature reserve, including replanting to support environmental recovery and biodiversity.

The programme is being managed by Network Rail, with the construction work being delivered by the supply chain partner and principal contractor, BAM Nuttall Ltd, working with architects Fereday-Pollard & Partners and Arcadis as the civil engineering designers. It is expected to be fully complete by Autumn 2027.

Paul Richmond, Senior Programme Sponsor for Network Rail said: “Our hard work at the station is paying off and is already highlighting how the ongoing improvements will significantly enhance the experience of customers at Hither Green.

“The lifting into place of the new footbridge is a significant moment and means that people can see first-hand the scale of the work to make Hither Green an accessible station for the first time. We are looking forward to progressing further with the work by the end of this year.”

Hodan Hassan, Commercial Scheme Sponsor, said: “Installing the new footbridge is a key milestone for the Hither Green Access for All programme and brings us closer to delivering step‑free access across the station. I want to thank customers and the local community for their patience while work continues.”