Northern Line 'On Schedule' for Reopening

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Work on the Bank branch project half complete says TfL

Engineers working on new escalators

The Bank branch of the Northern Line is on course to reopen in mid-May, with work on Bank station now at the halfway mark according to TfL.

Tube services have not been running between Kennington and Moorgate since 15 January to allow for a £700 million upgrade to be carried out on Bank station.

TfL has said that the upgrades will see passenger capacity increased by 40 per cent at Bank, with a new entrance to be built on Cannon Street.

In the two months that the Northern Line has been partially closed, engineers have excavated 100 metres of new railway tunnel and laid more than 185 metres of track. The new southbound Northern Line tunnel has been connected to the existing railway, while the century-old former southbound Northern Line platform has been converted into a new customer concourse.

Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer, described the work as “intricate and complex” but said that “great strides” have been made and the Northern Line is “on schedule” to reopen in mid-May as originally planned.

He said, “Once complete, the improvements we’re making at Bank station will be an important boost for the capital as the city continues to recover from the pandemic, giving London’s financial district a modern, accessible, easy to navigate station fit for the twenty-first century.”

In addition to the closure of the Northern Line between Kennington and Moorgate, further closures will be required between now and mid-May to allow for the upgrades to be completed.

The line will be suspended between Charing Cross and Battersea Power Station and between Euston and Stockwell (via Bank) on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 April. The same route will be affected by closures on Saturday 23 April, Saturday 14 May and Sunday 15 May.

TfL has reported increases in walking and cycling along the route of the Northern Line closure since mid-January.

Santander Cycle hires at affected stations have increased by 31 per cent, while walking journeys have risen 28 per cent faster around the Bank area compared to the rest of the network. Demand for buses has risen 20 per cent faster on impacted routes than elsewhere in London.

A temporary bus route – the 733 – will continue running between Oval and the City on weekdays for the duration of the Northern Line closure, with buses every seven to eight minutes.

Joe Talora - Local Democracy Reporter

March 30, 2022