Planned 17 week closure of Northern line’s Bank branch starts this weekend

Many lines and stations across central London will be busier, especially around the City of London, but extra Tube services and a new bus route will operate.Closure is part of improvements at Bank to increase the station’s capacity, provide step-free access to the Northern line, and make journeys quicker and easier.Intricate work will be completed during the closure, including connecting new tunnels to the existing railway and integrating new systems in the station.Transport for London (TfL) is reminding customers to check before they travel ahead of the forthcoming closure of the Bank branch of the Northern line, which will be closed for 17 weeks between Kennington and Moorgate from this Saturday, 15 January, until mid-May 2022. The closure is to enable the completion of vital work on the brand-new Northern line tunnel and passenger concourse at Bank Tube station as part of the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade.

To help mitigate the closure, which will also mean a reduced service between Camden Town and Moorgate, an enhanced service with a train at least every two minutes will run on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line during peak periods. A new, additional bus route, the 733 from Oval into the City (Moorgate, Finsbury Square), will also be introduced on weekdays. It will run every 7-8 minutes to help affected customers reach their destinations. All other lines serving Bank station are unaffected by this closure. The Waterloo & City line is currently operating at a peak-times service only. TfL will monitor this and review the peak-only service should it prove necessary to do so.

TfL is asking customers to travel at quieter times or use alternative routes during the closure, as many lines and stations across central London will be busier. Quieter times on Tube and Rail services are currently between 08:45 and 16:30 and after 18:45 during the week. These times may change. Customers are encouraged to check how busy their station is before they travel, using the TfL website’s Journey Planner or via the TfL Go app.

Full travel advice ahead of the closure is available at tfl.gov.uk/northern-line-closure.

 
TfL is running a full-scale, pan-London communications campaign to give customers the tools and advice they need to retime, reroute or use alternative public transport for their journeys, minimising the impact of the closure. To date, 1.3m customer emails have been issued about the upcoming closure, with 1,800 yellow banners currently displayed across the network alongside posters at all Northern line stations. PA announcements have been made at all impacted stations, and marketing posters are featured across the network and on digital platforms. In addition, 500,000 leaflets have been delivered to households in boroughs along the Northern line where affected trips originate. Communications will continue throughout the closure. To assist customers, TfL has installed signage at stations that will operate differently throughout the closure and will be deploying additional staff across the network to provide support and travel advice to customers.

This vital upgrade to Bank station will see its capacity increase by 40 per cent when finished, with improvements including a new railway tunnel and platform for the Northern line, step-free access to the Northern line and improved access to the DLR platforms. There will also be more direct routes within the station and a new station entrance on Cannon Street. Improving the station at the heart of London’s financial district is critical to supporting the growth and success of the City, addressing long-standing capacity issues and making journeys through Bank safer, easier, quicker, and more comfortable when fully complete later in 2022.