The lift at Brighton station, which has been out of order for three years, should be working again early next month.
Although there is a staircase, with 54 stairs, it is not an easy walk up to the station for anyone with a pushchair or suitcase, let alone for someone with a disability.
Residents have raised their concerns on a number of occasions at meetings of the London Road Area Local Action Team and with Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas.
Two local residents, Judi and Peter Lynn, told a recent meeting how much it had affected their lives. Mr Lynn, 81, has a disability and receives regular treatment at a London hospital. He requires easy access to the station.
He and his wife moved to the area because it had a lift – operated by Hyde housing association – to make access to the station easy.
The Green MP Caroline Lucas said: “Providing disability access shouldn’t be seen as an additional feature or afterthought, especially when it affects the ability to use public transport.
“Over the last three years I’ve heard from a number of constituents about the impact on them of this broken lift.
“I’ve made clear to Hyde my frustration at the time it’s taking for them to find a permanent fix. I keep being told by Hyde that the situation is complex. I keep reminding them that it needs to be fixed – and it’s been three years.
“Hyde are looking to work with the council on future developments in the city so they need to up their game and repair known problems in a timely manner at their existing ones.”
The lift briefly worked when it was installed in 2015. Since then residents say they have largely been kept in the dark with no timeline given for repair.
Hyde blamed the delays on a number of complex and underlying issues.
The housing association has offered residents a range of reasons from scaffolding impeding access for repair work to a blocked drainage system causing the lift shaft shaft to become flooded.
There has been no explanation as to why it has taken so long to find a solution.
Scott Cummines, Hyde’s head of compliance, apologised for the “inconvenience caused”. He said: “The lift is now working and just requires safety testing and cleaning before being put back in service.”
Mr Cummines added that Hyde “expect these works to be completed over the next couple of weeks and the lift to be returned to service at the beginning of July”.
