New lifts are set to be installed at a train station.

The Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) group has announced that draft plans for the installation of the lifts at Handforth station have been released.

The group, which was founded on November 30, 1996, has campaigned for the lifts since then.

The two new lifts, which are set to be installed in 2026, are set to make the station more accessible for people with pushchairs or disabilities.

FoHS has been working with surveyors for the past five years to find the best way to install the lifts.

The station will have two lifts, one for the northbound platform and one for the southbound platform, which will be powered hydraulically.

The northbound platform lift will have a capacity of 13 people, whereas the southbound lift will have a capacity of 16 people.

The installation of the lift motor rooms will result in some reduction in the size of the Rotary Garden adjacent to the northbound platform.

It will also lead to the removal of the existing waiting shelters and the siting of new waiting shelters further down the platforms.

A diagram of the proposed lifts installation (details subject to change) (Image: Supplied) Mike Bishop, the president of FoHS, said: "We hope the new waiting shelters will be equipped with guttering and downspouts to permit the collection and storage of rainwater for platform planters."

Network Rail has also provided a draft timetable for the lift project.

It is hoped the outline design of the works will be complete around the end of December.

A daytime/evening public information meeting is planned for early in the new year.

The detailed project engineering should be available around May, with construction work expected to start later in the summer.

It is anticipated that lift installation will be completed in the spring of 2026.

Mr Bishop said: "While FoHS have been the main proponents of the lift project, we gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Handforth Town Council.

"They provided a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of a 'GRIP 2 Study' - an essential prerequisite for any application to the Access for All scheme - and £150 for an assessment of station accessibility by disabled persons.

"As the cost of installing the lifts is now currently estimated at around £4.5 million, Handforth Town Council seems to have made a wise investment in helping FoHS with our campaign.

"Our station badly needs this substantial infrastructure, which will be much valued both by Handforth residents and by visitors to the town."