Liverpool Street's only passenger lift to close for refurbishment from 22 November

Network Rail is to take the only passenger lift at London Liverpool Street station out of service from Sunday 22 November 2026 for a full refurbishment that is expected to last until mid-February 2027.

The lift connects the main concourse with the upper level and with the Elizabeth line and the eastbound Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City platforms. Network Rail said it last had significant work nearly 20 years ago and had been regularly put out of service by faults.

The scope covers replacing or refurbishing all hydraulics and control systems, stripping and cleaning the shaft, fitting new lighting and flooring in the car, and installing new customer control panels. A remote condition monitoring system will also be added so engineers can deal with faults before they escalate, the company said.

Sara Ashmore Barrios, Liverpool Street Station Manager working as part of GBR Anglia, said: "This is vital work to improve the reliability of our only passenger lift and keep it operating for years to come, ahead of the major accessibility improvements proposed as part of the station's redevelopment."

Network Rail said the refurbishment would take the lift to the end of its expected lifespan. The Great Eastern Railway War Memorial on the upper level will be protected throughout, with its appearance unchanged on completion.

Step-free access during the works

The lift will be unavailable for the whole of the works. Network Rail said alternative step-free routes using other lifts would be in place, although they may involve a longer journey, and maps and signage would be displayed in the station.

From the main concourse, passengers can leave the station using the service lift at the back of platform 10 or the lifts next to Pret A Manger in the Broadgate shopping centre. The Broadgate lifts also give access to the Broadgate Elizabeth line entrance. Routes into the concourse use the service lift on the upper level or the lifts next to Kiehl's in Broadgate.

Passengers wanting to avoid Liverpool Street altogether are advised to change between mainline trains, the Elizabeth line and the Central line at Stratford.

Passenger Assist will continue. Those interchanging with the Elizabeth line or London Underground will be taken to a handover point at the top of the Elizabeth line lifts at the Broadgate entrance, where Transport for London (TfL) staff take over. Network Rail advised allowing at least 30 minutes extra transfer time for onward connections.

Mark Evers, TfL's lead on Customer Insight, Strategy and Experience, said: "We encourage customers to check before they travel, use TfL's Journey Planner or the free TfL Go app to plan alternative step-free routes, and allow extra time to complete their journeys."

Britain's busiest station

The scale of the station makes the closure significant. The Office of Rail and Road said London Liverpool Street was Great Britain's busiest station for the third year running, with almost 100 million entries and exits between April 2024 and March 2025. The City of London Corporation put the 2024/25 figure at 98 million. ORR data also recorded 8.7 million journeys between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Court Road.

Network Rail's station page says the station opened in 1874 as a replacement for Bishopsgate station and has 17 platforms.

The redevelopment

The refurbishment is an interim measure ahead of a wider redevelopment of the station. The City of London's Planning Committee passed a resolution to grant planning permission on 10 February 2026.

According to Network Rail, the scheme would replace the single four-person lift with eight large lifts and increase the number of escalators from four to ten, allowing people to move between street and concourse. The City of London Corporation said the approved plans include step-free access at every platform, including the London Underground, along with more ticket barriers, wider platforms, lounges and toilets. Network Rail said the Victorian trainshed would remain untouched.

Network Rail forecasts annual passenger numbers at the station to grow by 35% to 158 million by 2041. Ellie Burrows, Managing Director for Network Rail's Eastern region, said at the time of the approval that it ensured the station would be future proofed for decades to come.

GBR Anglia

Network Rail said the lift project is being carried out on behalf of Network Rail Anglia, which sits within GBR Anglia alongside the train operators c2c and Greater Anglia.

Network Rail announced the unified Anglia leadership team on 14 May 2026, bringing the three organisations together under Managing Director Jamie Burles. It said there would be no immediate changes to services, branding or the way customers travel.

The lift is expected to return to service in mid-February 2027.