TfL introduces level access announcement at Kew Gardens Station

Kew Society members and residents of Kew have long been aware that the lives of train passengers with any mobility issue arriving from the east at Kew Gardens Station could be made easier if they knew that, by travelling to Richmond and returning on the next train to Kew, they could avoid a 600m walk from North Road to the other side of the village (or a “mountaineering experience” on the station steps).

Navigating the steps at Kew Gardens Station

Indeed, for many years Kew Society has suggested the idea to anyone who would listen!

In January 2025, we set up a group of volunteers to address this issue and develop other ideas to improve safe and easy access across the railway lines and around Kew in general.

Regular users of trains from Gunnersbury to Kew will be delighted that our perseverance has finally paid off!

Have you heard the announcement on westbound trains telling passengers who need level access to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew to continue on to Richmond and take the eastbound train back to Kew for an easier, step-free journey?  If not, click here

We are sure that our members would like to join us in thanking Claire Mann, COO of TfL, and her team at TfL for turning our suggestions into a reality.

For our team this, we hope, will be the first of many successes as we explore other ways to improve safe and easy access from one side of Kew Village to the other. Please join us and make your voice heard for the benefit of the many people who live in, work in or visit Kew.