Northern line Bank branch to re-open on 16th May

The Bank branch of the Northern line is set to re-open on Monday, 16th May, along with Bank station's new southbound Northern line platform and customer concourse.

From 16th May, customers will be able to use Northern line services at all Bank branch stations between Kennington and Moorgate.

The last day of service for the Route 733 bus, which was introduced specifically while the Bank branch was closed, will be today Friday, 13th May.

The final stages of work at Bank station will be completed by the end of this year. When that work finishes, the capacity of the station will increase by 40 per cent, with improvements including step-free access to the Northern line, improved access to the DLR platforms, two new moving walkways, 12 new escalators, and two new lifts.

There will also be more direct routes within the station and a new station entrance on Cannon Street.

Work that has been completed during the closure of Bank station includes:

• connecting the new southbound Northern line tunnel to the existing railway;
• converting the former southbound Northern line platform, which was built more than 100 years ago, into a new, spacious customer concourse;
• installing all-new track and railway systems within the new tunnel, followed by commissioning activities using multiple test trains;
• fitting out the new station areas, which included installing flooring, wall coverings, and signage on the new southbound Northern line platform.

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at Transport for London, said::

I'm delighted to confirm that we're on schedule to fully re-open the Northern line on Monday 16 May after successfully completing the challenging next phase of vital upgrade works at Bank station. I'd like to thank our customers for their patience during this closure. The improvements we're making at Bank station will be finished by the end of this year and will totally transform customer journeys through the station. Anyone who's familiar with Bank station will know how its labyrinthian layout can be confusing and time-consuming to navigate.

“Northern line customers now have a new, wider southbound platform and spacious customer concourse. The countdown is on for completing the rest of this major upgrade which is one of the largest and most complicated subterranean railway complexes in the world.”

Customers can 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 is available at http://tfl.gov.uk/northern-line-closure