A traction lift system (10) has a car (20) movable on lift guide rails within a lift shaft (11), a counterweight also movable on counterweight guide rails within the lift shaft, a set of hoisting ropes suspending the car (20) and the counterweight and being used to move both the car and the counterweight. A traction machine (16) is at least partially located within a pocket motor room (12) adjacent the lift shaft (11). The pocket motor room (12) extends outwardly from one side wall (13) of the lift shaft (11). The traction machine (16) includes a motor section (17) and a traction sheave section (18) substantially adjacent each other along a central axis. The traction sheave section (18) includes a traction sheave surrounding gearing means and drive shaft extending from the motor section (17), the motor section (17) being located substantially within the pocket motor room (12) and the traction sheave section (18) being wholy within the lift shaft (11) to engage the hoisting ropes.
