Clapham: Five months without six Northern line stations next year

A project at Bank station will close six Northern line stations in 2022.

A temporary bus route will replace Northern line services between Kennington and Moorgate while Bank station is rebuilt.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced stations on the Northern line Bank branch will close on January 15, 2022 while works to build a new southbound tunnel are completed.

In order to connect new and existing sections of tunnel, stations between Kennington and Moorgate will not re-open until mid-May. Users of Clapham South, Clapham Common and Clapham North tube stations can expect a less frequent service as fewer trains will run on sections of the Bank branch still open.

The Northern line closure in 2022 is one of the last stages of a project to increase space at Bank and Monument stations by 40 per cent. Planning for the project began in 2014, though including the public consultations held in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, TfL have spent over a decade on the improvements.

Works during the Northern line closure in 2022 include removing the existing southbound track and services to fill the tunnel with concrete. The ultimate benefit of the new railway tunnel and platform is that it will reduce interchange times and create more space for Northern line passengers.

Stuart Harvey, Director of Major Projects for TfL, said: "Bank station has a vital role to play in London's recovery from the pandemic.

"The changes to the station will transform the experience of every customer that uses Bank and will help the City as it continues to recover and people return to the area.

"I am proud of the work our staff, contractors and everyone associated with the project has put into this vital upgrade and I look forward to that work being complete next year, but I am sorry that this vital and complex work will cause disruption."

Northern line Tube Station Facts

In a normal year Bank and Monument together are used by more than 120 million passengers

The Northern line opened in 1937 and was created out of two separate railways: the City and South London Railway, and the Charing Cross Euston and Hampstead Railway.

The deepest station AND the deepest station below street level are both on the Northern line. The overall deepest station, Hampstead Heath, runs down to 58.5 metres, while the DLR concourse at Bank is 41.4 metres below ground.

The longest continuous tunnel is on the Northern line. It runs from East Finchley to Morden (via Bank), a total of 17.3 miles.

Underneath Clapham North station is the UK's first ever underground farm.

For two weeks in September 2016 all advert space used in Clapham Common tube station was replaced by photographs of cats.

Hidden behind the blue bars on the Clapham South platform roundels is what the station was originally going to be called: 'Nightingale Lane'.

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