Published on
October 5, 2022
The Northern Line Extension has clocked more than five million passenger journeys since it opened a year ago, according to Transport for London’s (TfL’s) latest data.
The doors to the extension’s two new Tube stations, at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station, opened on 20 September 2021. Since then, the two new step-free Zone 1 stations have boosted the area’s connectivity and reduced journey times.
Battersea Power Station is the busier of the two new stations with approximately 80,000 trips per week and almost 15,000 trips routinely recorded on the busiest day of the week (Wednesday).
Nine Elms station attracts more than 40,000 trips each week and almost 8,000 trips on the busiest day.
In June, TfL doubled the frequency of trains on the extension, from six to 12 trains per hour during peak times, and from five to 10 trains per hour at off-peak times.
The latest modelling indicates that annual passenger journeys on the extension are predicted to continue growing and could reach up to 10 million trips per year in 2024/25. This is due to factors including London’s continued recovery from the pandemic, the ongoing growth and regeneration in the Battersea and Nine Elms areas, and the increased number of trains per hour on the extension, which is making it more popular with customers with reduced wait times.
Plan your journey on the TfL website
Key destinations for trips made from the new stations at Battersea and Nine Elms include:
Analysis of journey times before and after the opening of the extension found it has led to an average 17-minute reduction in passenger journey times between the area and the City and West End, representing a decrease of almost 50 per cent.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted that one year on from opening, the Northern Line Extension has seen more than five million journeys made. As London continues to recover from the pandemic, it’s vital that we encourage people back on to our public transport in order to make a cleaner, greener and better London for everyone. The two new stations on the Northern Line are at the heart of these efforts – the Northern Line Extension has improved the links between these south London neighbourhoods and the rest of the capital, cut journey times, and played an important role in drawing people back onto the network.”
Nine Elms Tube station is displaying a temporary artwork by artist and local Nine Elms resident Ian Wornast. The artwork – a highly detailed pen drawing showing a cross-section of the Underground station presented as a mosaic of colours and pattern – is on display with support from Art on the Underground in partnership with Action Space, an arts charity supporting artists with learning difficulties.
Ian’s poster can be found in the ticket hall area and on the platform at Nine Elms station and a limited-edition foldout artwork is also available at the station. The poster artwork will be on display for a month and can also be seen around the Nine Elms and Battersea area. Find out more about Ian Wornast’s artwork in the Tube.
A book and artist-designed calendar celebrating Art on the Underground’s major permanent artwork by London-based Brazilian artist Alexandre da Cunha – titled ‘Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset’ – are being published next month. The artwork stretches to a total of over 150m in length inside the ticket hall of the new Tube station at Battersea. More information and pre-order copies at art.tfl.gov.uk
Artwork: Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset around the ticket hall at Battersea Power Station Underground station
