A new and modern entrance building has been opened to passengers at Ilford in East London, and with three new lifts it provides step-free access between the street and the station platforms.

The new building incorporates a bright and spacious ticket hall, which for most users will provide a gateway to the town centre. A staffed ticket office has been retained along with self-service ticket machines. The station opened in 1839, but this is the first time that the station has had step-free access to all platforms.

On Tuesday, 30th August, local MP Sam Tarry, Redbridge Council members, local business leaders, and representatives from Network Rail, Crossrail Ltd, Transport for London, and train operator MTR, attended an event to mark the completion of the new entrance.

Ilford station passengers can now look forward to Sunday, 6th November, when Elizabeth Line passengers will be able to travel directly into stations in central London.

Under Secretary of State for Transport, Baroness Vere said: “The Elizabeth line is a fantastic state-of-the-art service offering cheaper and faster travel across London and everyone deserves to be able to access it. As a result of almost £3 billion of Government funding to make stations along the line more accessible, Ilford station has been rebuilt into a spacious new ticket hall with three new lifts to make travel across London a reality for everyone.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It is great news that the improvements to Ilford station, which serves the new Elizabeth line, have now been completed. From today, passengers will benefit from a spacious new ticket hall, new lifts, and improved access to ticketing services and customer information.

“These upgrades at Ilford station form part of our promise to make travel easier, more comfortable, and more accessible for millions of passengers, boosting connectivity across London and the South East as we build a better London for everyone.”

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “Having completed the new station entrance building for Ilford, passengers will start to benefit from a modern, spacious facility with access to the Elizabeth line. It is a fantastic improvement for Ilford and the new lifts will make a huge difference to everyone that wants to travel on the Elizabeth line which is already revolutionising the way passengers get across London.

“The opening of Ilford station’s new entrance is the last major piece of work for Network Rail’s stations upgrade programme for Crossrail which is a significant achievement by thousands of people for current and future generations of rail users.”

Howard Smith, TfL’s Director of the Elizabeth line, said: “Ilford station’s new entrance is a significant and important improvement for our customers. I’m very pleased that people with mobility needs as well as those with children in buggies or customers carrying heavy luggage can now access the transformational Elizabeth line from this station with greater ease, improving their journeys.”

Sam Tarry, Member of Parliament for Ilford South, said: “It was a huge honour to officially open the new and improved Ilford station. The enhancements are a major win for our Ilford community, and it will also serve as a timely boost to businesses across the town and borough. It also marks an important step in improving our local infrastructure, which will help to encourage people to increasingly shift away from our roads and onto public transport as we all play our part in the fight against the climate crisis.”

The Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: “The opening of the new entrance to Ilford station is a big step forward towards a bright future for our borough. Ilford is just one of four Elizabeth Line stations in Redbridge and will help boost our local economy while better serving local commuters, improving our connection to other areas in London and beyond whilst relieving pressure on the central line.”