Customers using Bank station now have another new interchange route designed to make journeys quicker and easier with the opening of two new 100-metre moving walkways and three new escalators between the Northern and Central lines.
The opening of the new interchange comes just 15 days after three new escalators were unveiled between the Northern line and DLR on Thursday 13 October, shaving up to nine minutes off the journeys of those interchanging between these two lines. Transport for London (TfL) estimates that around 40 per cent of customers using Bank Underground station are changing between lines.
Bank station already has a moving walkway which, when installed in 1960, was the first not only on London Underground but anywhere in Europe and still serves as an exit route from the Waterloo & City line. The two new moving walkways unveiled today (28 October) are the latest to be delivered since the Millennium when moving walkways were installed at Waterloo station as part of the Jubilee Line Extension.
Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport said: “This new interchange route will make journeys quicker and easier for people changing between the Northern and Central lines – it signals the next step in improvements as Bank station continues its transformation into a modern, accessible station in the heart of the city.
“There are still more upgrades to come and once completed Bank will have 40 per cent more capacity, contributing to the Mayor’s aim to build a better, safer and more prosperous London for all.”
Lincoln Ofokansi, Project Director at Transport for London, said: “The improvements at Bank station keep on coming with the opening today of a much-anticipated new interchange route between the Northern and Central lines. This will help reduce journey times, as well as providing much-needed congestion relief, improved wayfinding for our customers and an easier interchange that avoids the use of stairs when moving between two of the Underground’s busiest lines. This milestone also brings us a step closer to the completion of this hugely complex station upgrade.”
Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Shravan Joshi, said: “Bank station is a vital gateway to the City of London for commuters, visitors and residents. This latest milestone will significantly improve the experience of people using the station by making it much more accessible. As the upgrade of Bank station moves towards completion, it will play an important role in supporting our vision of the Square Mile as a vibrant destination for all.”
The upgrade of Bank station will see its capacity increased by 40 per cent when the complex project is completed. More improvements still to come include a new station entrance on Cannon Street, step-free access to the Northern line for the first time 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.
The opening of the new interchange between Northern line and Central services comes as London continues to recover from the pandemic. Weekday Tube ridership has grown to around 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels with at least three million journeys now being made on the Tube each weekday. Tube ridership at stations defined as ‘City’ stations – including Bank – is now at around 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, up from around 33 per cent in January. Weekend Tube ridership is now regularly above 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Photo credit: TfL
