TfL publishes updated interchange design guidance for London’s transport hubs

# What changed TfL has refreshed its Interchange Best Practice Guidelines. The update replaces the 2021 version — which included social-distancing measures introduced during the pandemic — with guidance aligned to the current Mayoral agenda and to TfL's Station public realm design guidance.

The new document shifts emphasis toward inclusive design, safety and the wider quality of interchange environments. TfL says the guidance is especially aimed at organisations involved in planning and delivering interchange improvements, with a focus on early-stage project development.

# Why this matters Interchanges — the spaces around Tube, rail and bus stations where people change modes — affect how easily and safely people move across the city. The refreshed guidance is meant to help ensure those spaces are designed to meet present-day needs and to connect well with surrounding streets and public spaces.

A TfL spokesperson framed the update as support for boroughs, developers and transport partners. Joseph Uzoka, Growth Interchange Programme Manager at TfL, said the guidance provides practical advice to help create transport hubs that are "inclusive, accessible and easy to use while improving journeys across London's transport network."

# Practical implications for projects

• Early design decisions: The guidance is explicitly targeted at the early stages of project development, where layout, access and integration choices shape later construction and operation.
• Inclusive access: Designers and planners should apply the document's inclusive-design principles when configuring routes, step-free access, signage and street connections.

• Integration with streets: The guidance reinforces the need for interchange facilities to tie into surrounding streets and public spaces, rather than functioning as isolated islands.

# Context and reading the guidance

TfL positions this version as a practical tool to be used by local authorities, developers and transport partners — a reference to consult when justifying design decisions or explaining why layouts look a certain way. The article notes the document can be used to answer critics who question design choices.

# How readers can use this information

• Borough planners and developers: Use the guidance when preparing proposals or negotiating interchange improvements with TfL.
• Community groups and local councillors: Reference the guidance when discussing access, safety and public-realm changes at local stations.
• Commuters and local businesses: Understand that station forecourt treatments or entrance placements may be shaped by these published principles.

# Where to find the guidance The article links to the latest version of the Interchange Best Practice Guidelines 2026 on TfL's site. It presents the update as a factual reference for anyone wanting the policy basis behind interchange design choices.

# Bottom line TfL's 2026 update replaces temporary pandemic measures with guidance aligned to current Mayoral priorities, stressing inclusive design, safety and integration with surrounding public spaces. The document is intended as practical advice for the early stages of planning interchange improvements and as a policy reference for boroughs, developers and transport partners.