TfL’s Northern Line Extension opening date revealed

The new 3km twin-tunnel railway between Kennington and Battersea Power Station via Nine Elms, which has been delivered by a joint venture Ferrovial and Laing O’Rourke, was originally scheduled to open in December 2020. The nine month delay to completion with a September opening date was first revealed by NCE in 2018.

At the time, TfL said that introduction of services on the new line is being “realigned” to coincide with the opening of the Bank Station upgrade allowing for additional capacity on the line. Nonetheless, the impact of Covid and other project issues mean that the upgrade will now not be completed until at least mid-2022 with a blockade on the line planned at Bank between January and May 2022.

TfL has declined to confirm the 20 September opening date of the Northern Line Extension but said that the “extension is on track to open this autumn”.

A TfL spokesperson added: "We will confirm the opening date as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are undertaking final testing and commissioning of all the assets and systems required to keep the extension running. In addition, around 100 members of station staff are currently undertaking training to become familiar with the two new step-free Tube stations, and Northern line drivers are receiving instruction on the new route."

Testing was ramped up in July with Northern line trains running through the new tunnels every weekend to allow the railway and supporting systems to be run as close to an operational service as possible. Trail running on the new line started in January this year. Other work undertaken this summer also included a number of practice exercises with TfL staff including trial emergency evacuations to test safety procedures.

The Northern Line Extension is the first major Tube extension this century and will transform transport links in south London. Battersea and surrounding areas will be brought within 15 minutes of the West End and the City, helping reduce carbon and improve air quality by providing more sustainable transport options.

The project is a key driver for regeneration, supporting around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes. The project itself has also boosted the UK economy, providing almost 1,000 jobs including 79 apprenticeships.

Once the extension opens, there will be an initial peak time service of six trains per hour, increasing to 12 trains per hour by mid-2022. There will be five trains per hour during off-peak times, doubling to 10.

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