London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Kentish Town Tube station has reopened following an 18-month closure for escalator and structural repairs while Thameslink trains are expected to resume service until 30 December.
The reopening of Kentish Town Tube station was scheduled for June 2024 after fixing its unreliable escalators, but the closure was extended twice due to deteriorating concrete in the floor and roof.
This station has remained closed since last June.
Though the Tube station is now open, passengers cannot switch to the railway, as Thameslink trains will not stop there until 30 December due to mechanical problems.
TfL posted on X,
“Kentish Town station – the station will open, and all trains will be stopping normally from 05:30 this morning (23 December).”
✅ Kentish Town station – the station will open and all trains will be stopping normally from 05:30 this morning.
— TfL Access (@TfLAccess) December 23, 2024
Like other London Underground stations, the station will shut early on Tuesday evening and remain closed until Boxing Day, due to the absence of Tube services on Christmas Day.
Local businesses have expressed dissatisfaction with the extended closure of the Northern Line station.
TfL also decided to upgrade the ticket hall and install additional ticket barriers to replace the escalators installed in 1997.
Its director of asset performance delivery, Richard Jones stated,
“I’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we replaced the escalators at Kentish Town Tube station, particularly as the work took longer than originally planned due to additional challenges that were uncovered once the complex work had begun.”
He added that renovated escalators are set to greatly enhance journeys through the stations and are designed to last for the next four decades.
Mr Jones said,
“The station is now more spacious, more welcoming and easier to navigate for our customers as a result of the additional works we’ve done.”
These new escalators are the same model used on the Elizabeth line and across the London Underground.
Kentish Town Tube station opened in 1907. After refurbishing in 2024, the station saw new signs and tiling, while historic features such as the original clocks were kept.
Colindale station also reopened on December 20 in a “temporary state” after a six-month closure for significant upgrades, as a further improvement for Northern line passengers.
The upgrade process at Colindale station is expected to finish by next autumn.
This project will provide a larger building station, a ticket hall and a lift, also offering step-free access to passengers initially.
Passengers also showed gratitude for the reopening of the Kentish station.
One local councillor posted on X and said,
“Glad to see Kentish Town underground station reopen before Christmas!.”
Glad to see Kentish Town underground station reopen before Christmas! Please see festive opening hours below 🚇 pic.twitter.com/DRp2gGiSAu
— Joseph Ball (@JosephBallKTS) December 23, 2024
Kentish Town played a vital role during World War II as an air-raid shelter, offering refuge to Londoners during the Blitz, ideal for safety from aerial bombings.
During maintenance in 2016, a worker fell nearly 9.5 meters from a scaffold at the station, resulting in serious injuries. The London Underground was then fined £500,000 for safety violations linked to the incident.