TfL Press Release - Vital Northern Line Extension work means Bank branch trains will not stop at Kennington from May to September

Northern line customers are advised that from Saturday 26 May until mid-September Bank branch trains will not stop at Kennington to allow four new customer passageways to be built as part of work on the Northern Line Extension.

Once complete, the passageways will make it quicker and easier for customers to change between different branches of the Northern line at Kennington, and will be essential for those using the new Northern Line Extension from Kennington to Battersea Power Station, which is due for completion in 2020.

The extension, from Battersea to Kennington, via Nine Elms, will add further vital new capacity to the Capital’s transport network, bringing Battersea and surrounding areas to within 15 minutes of the City and the West End. It will also enable the regeneration of the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas, spurring economic growth by supporting around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes. In addition, the construction of the extension is boosting the UK economy and supporting around 1,000 jobs, including around 50 apprenticeships.

The Victorian-era Bank branch platforms at Kennington are simply too narrow to enable Transport for London (TfL) to safely complete this essential work behind hoardings while keeping the platforms open.

The non-stopping of Bank branch trains at Kennington, to enable the works to be completed, means there will be no interchange for Northern line customers between the Bank and Charing Cross branches during this period. To help mitigate the impact, TfL will introduce a temporary timetable. This will mean more frequent, direct trains to and from Morden on the Charing Cross branch. However, there will be a slightly reduced, and therefore busier, service on the Bank branch. The Victoria line will also be busier as customers seek alternative routes.

More detailed, tailored travel advice will be available well in advance of the work starting to help customers plan their journeys. It will include posters and leaflets at affected stations, customer emails and information at tfl.gov.uk. Kennington station will remain open for the duration of the work, with customers able to board trains northbound, via the Charing Cross branch, or southbound to Morden.

Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Director of Major Projects, said: “We apologise to Northern line customers and to local residents for the disruption this will cause to their journeys. The Bank branch platforms at Kennington are simply too narrow to allow us to safely carry out this vital work behind hoardings while keeping the platforms open. Running Bank branch trains through Kennington without stopping will allow us to build the additional passageways we need in the quickest and least disruptive way possible, and are essential to enable customers to access the new Northern Line Extension when it opens.”

Work on the new Northern Line Extension stations at Battersea and Nine Elms is progressing well. Major tunnelling finished in November 2017 and, over Christmas, the new and existing Northern line tunnels were connected for the first time.

The continued modernisation of the Tube is a key part of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to make London a greener, more accessible place. The investment in improving public transport will help reduce reliance on the car and contribute to the Mayor’s target of 80 per cent of journeys made by public transport, cycling or walking by 2041.