Highgate Tube escalator has been broken for 6 months, forcing residents to climb 80 steps. TfL delays repairs due to bespoke parts and design.
Residents in Highgate say they feel like prisoners in their own homes as a faulty escalator at one of London’s deepest Tube stations remains out of service, nearly six months after it first broke down.
Highgate Underground Station, which lies around 490 feet below street level, has become a daily challenge for commuters and vulnerable residents. Since October, the main escalator leading to the exit has been out of order. That means passengers must now tackle an exhausting 80-step climb just to reach ground level.
Transport for London (TfL) says they’re working on it. But due to the escalator’s age and “bespoke” design, sourcing the necessary replacement parts is taking longer than expected.
For those with mobility issues, the closure has had a serious impact. One 85-year-old woman, who suffered a stroke, now has to avoid the station altogether, taking a 30-minute detour to reach her destination.
“I think the main concern is the extra exertion of getting on a bus and the journey time and the increased strain on her doing this. She can walk but she’s got limited mobility so she struggles with steps. In particular, the main concern is adding time and strain to the journey and reducing her ability to go in and out of town,” explained her son, Andrew Reed.
Local Councillor Scott Emery has joined residents in urging TfL to speed up repairs. He’s been actively campaigning for a resolution and says the current situation is simply unacceptable.
“For someone like me it’s not that much of an issue, although it does slow things down. You have to go through a different route and you have to go up some steps and to a different entrance point,” he told MyLondon.
“But the real problem is for people with accessibility issues… the number of steps at Highgate station is considerable. Then you’re talking 20/30 steps just to get out onto street level. Some residents, they’ve told me this, feel locked in their homes… it’s very frustrating.”
This isn’t an isolated issue. Over in south-east London, the DLR’s Cutty Sark station has faced persistent escalator problems for years. It got so bad, over 2,000 locals signed a petition demanding action. Now, that station is scheduled to close from 31 May for a full year so new, modern escalators can be installed.
A TfL spokesperson said: “I am sorry for the continuing issues with the escalator at Highgate station. The age and bespoke nature of this escalator means replacement parts must be specially designed and made, which has long lead times. Our engineers are working hard to get the escalator back into service as quickly as possible.”
With no clear end date in sight, Highgate residents, particularly the elderly and disabled, remain stuck in limbo. Many say it’s not just an inconvenience, but a barrier to daily life. As London’s transport network ages, the question remains: how long can vital infrastructure be left to fall apart before the city’s most vulnerable are left behind?
