A multi-million pound project to make a railway station fully accessible for disabled people is set to begin in the next few weeks, it has been announced.

Builders will start work on Crystal Palace station, which is used by 11,000 commuters each day, to provide three new lifts operating from the ticket hall to platform level.

The £3.5million development will also include improved CCTV, signage, information boards and a PA system.

Meanwhile, work on the Grade II listed ticket hall is scheduled for this summer and should be completed by 2013.

The station, which forms part of the London Overground line, was originally built in 1854 to serve visitors to the nearby exhibition building, The Crystal Palace.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This work is vital to improve the journeys of thousands of passengers travelling through south London every day.

“It will transform this historic station, bringing it bang up to date and mean families with buggies and those with disabilities will have a much improved journey.”

Howard Smith, Transport for London’s chief operating officer for rail, said: “Crystal Palace is a wonderful example of Victorian station architecture and has real historical significance.

“This is a great opportunity to restore it to its original grandeur and at the same time bring it into the 21st Century with full accessibility from the ticket hall to the platforms.”

Disability campaign group Transport for All, based in Brixton, also welcomed the news after hundreds of residents signed a petition to improve accessibility at the station.