Next phase of vital upgrade of Bank station completes, with the opening of a new interchange route between the Northern line and DLR

13 Oct 2022 12:35 PM

New, more direct interchange route linking the Northern line and DLR opens today at Bank station, shaving up to nine minutes off the journeys of those interchanging between these two lines

The completion of the major upgrade of Bank Tube station moved a step closer today (Thursday 13 October) with the opening of a new interchange route between the Northern line concourse, opened by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in May, and the DLR concourse and platforms.

Three new escalators now take customers between the spacious new Northern line concourse and the DLR concourse and platforms. This new interchange route makes moving around the station quicker and easier for customers, with journey times up to nine minutes quicker as a result. Transport for London (TfL) estimates that around 40 per cent of customers using Bank Underground station are changing between lines.

The upgrade of Bank station will see its capacity increased by 40 per cent when the complex project is completed, with improvements still to come including a new interchange route between the Northern and Central lines consisting of two new 95-metre moving walkways and three new escalators. There will also be a new station entrance on Cannon Street, step-free access to the Northern line for the first time via two new lifts, and improved step-free access to the DLR.

Between them, Bank and Monument stations are served by five Underground lines and the DLR. The two stations consist of four ticket halls (five with the opening of the new entrance on Cannon Street), seven lifts (nine once the new lifts giving step-free access to the Northern line and improved step-free access to the DLR are opened) and 10 platforms. Bank station already has 19 escalators and will have 27 once the works are complete, the largest number on the Tube network.

These improvements to Bank station will support the recovery, growth and success of the City of London, addressing long-standing capacity issues and making journeys through Bank quicker, easier, and more comfortable when fully complete.

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said: "From today, commuters changing between the Northern line and DLR at Bank station will have an incredible nine minutes shaved off their journey times as the next phase of vital upgrades to the station are completed.

"There are still more upgrades to come and once complete the transformed station will have 40 per cent more capacity supporting the recovery, growth and success of the City of London, addressing long-standing capacity issues and making journeys through Bank quicker, easier, and more comfortable.

"The Mayor and I are continuing to build a better, safer and more prosperous London for everyone and these improvements mark another step towards a modern, accessible station in the heart of the city."

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at Transport for London, said: "Anyone familiar with the previous layout at Bank station will know that it was confusing and constrained, leading to frequent congestion and long interchange times. From today, the journeys of customers interchanging between the Northern line and DLR will be hugely improved, with three new escalators whisking them between these lines and shaving up to nine minutes off their journeys. The countdown continues for the completion of this complex upgrade which is on track to transform Bank station into a modern, flagship gateway to London's financial centre."

Highlights of the completed work at Bank station since the major upgrade started in 2016 includes:

• Construction of more than 1,000 metres of new tunnels, including the three new escalator barrels providing the new direct interchange between the Northern line and DLR platforms
• More than 200,000 tonnes of material excavated from under the City of London during the tunnelling work, taken with great care to avoid disrupting any of the 31 surrounding listed buildings
• The new, wider southbound Northern line platform and customer concourse opened in May - with the new southbound tunnel connected to the existing railway during the closure of the Bank branch of the Northern line earlier this year
• Construction of the new station entrance on Cannon Street is complete with fit-out work continuing at pace
• Construction of two new lift shafts providing direct, step-free access from street level to the Northern line platforms is complete with the fit-out of the two new lifts nearing completion
• A new station entrance on Walbrook (at the Bloomberg building) opened in November 2018. With two lifts, four escalators and its own ticket hall, the entrance offers easier access to the Waterloo & City line

Wayfinding at Bank station is being improved to make it easier and more intuitive to navigate around the station. Improvements include new signage and contrast cladding between interchange corridors and platforms. A new platform hump has been installed on the northbound Northern line platform and the newly constructed southbound Northern line platform has been raised to provide level access between the train and the platform.

The opening of the new interchange between the Northern line and DLR platforms comes as London continues to recover from the pandemic. Weekday Tube ridership has grown to around 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels with around three million journeys now being made on the Tube each day. Tube ridership at stations defined as 'City' stations - including Bank - is now at around 65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, up from around 33 per cent in January. Weekend Tube ridership is now regularly above 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

Notes to editors

• Much of the work completed on the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade (BSCU) has been intricate and complicated, with 31 listed buildings at street level above the new tunnels, and foundations for other buildings that had to be tunnelled through. The work was completed by teams of engineers working in shifts around the clock, and despite the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, will be delivered later this year within the £700m budget
• The BSCU is also enabling the creation of a new commercial development, which will help TfL generate revenue to reinvest in the transport network. Located above the new station entrance on Cannon Street, the eight-storey development, along with a basement, will include both office and retail space, measuring around 140,000 sq. ft. (Net Internal Area), external terraces on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors and a green roof. The design will feature a Portland stone façade with glass fibre reinforced concrete cladding and full curtain glazing to seamlessly integrate into its surrounding environment. Hints of bronze will further provide depth and interest, delivering a best-in-class asset in the centre of the City