Two London Underground stations on the same District line are among the worst hit by lift closures caused by staff shortages, new figures reveal. Wimbledon Park station recorded 1,435 hours of lift closures across 244 incidents in 2025, the highest on the network. One closure lasted 424 hours continuously from November 20 to December 8 because no trained staff were available.
Wimbledon Park worst affected
The 137-year-old station, which gained step-free access in 2021 after a £200m investment, is heavily used by commuters. Nearby Southfields station also saw 517 hours of closures, the third highest. Kingsbury station in North West London had 531 hours, the second highest.
Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler said passengers are "being badly let down." He added: "This is completely unacceptable, particularly given the station only recently became step-free. Passengers who rely on lifts, including disabled people, older passengers and parents with buggies, are being badly let down."
Sharp rise in closures
Staffing-related closures across the Tube network have risen sharply from 499 hours in 2021 to 2,460 in 2022, 3,301 in 2023, and over 6,000 hours in both 2024 and 2025. The data excludes closures due to mechanical faults or maintenance, meaning overall disruption is likely higher.
Other affected stations include Osterley, Debden, Kilburn, Hendon Central, Hillingdon, Bromley-by-Bow, and Knightsbridge.
TfL response
A TfL spokesperson said: "We recognise how important lifts are to our customers and apologise for the disruption. Lift unavailability can be caused by unexpected failures, which we work hard to fix. We are working hard to prevent lifts being removed from service due to staff unavailability and have an ongoing recruitment campaign to fill outstanding vacancies. Although our lifts are in service more than 96 per cent of the time, we strive to always keep them in service."
