First new London Tube line in 22 years opens as £1.1bn Northern line extension carries passengers
First new London Tube line in 22 years opens as £1.1bn Northern line extension starts carrying passengers to stops at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms
First train carried passengers to new stations at 5.28am on Monday following six-year £1.1billion developmentIt is the first major expansion of the London Underground this century and first on Northern Line for 80 yearsLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan says it’s a ‘step forward’ in the capital’s recovery and boost to ‘nation’s economy’Extension to support 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes in 40 developments in Nine Elms
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Two new stations opened on London‘s Northern Line this morning in the first major expansion of the underground this century.
The new stops at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station today opened to passengers with trains running through Battersea Power Station from 5.28am.
It is the first major expansion of the London Underground since the opening of the extension of the Jubilee line from Green Park to Stratford in 1999.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was today joined by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps as the new stations were officially opened.
The new Tube station at Battersea Power Station opened today after a six-year TfL project to extend the Northern Line from Kennington, with a stop at Nine Elms en route
Passengers on board a train departing from Battersea Power Station underground station as it opened for the very first time
Battersea Power Station underground station opens and takes its first passengers
Passengers at Battersea Power Station underground station
Public transport enthusiasts wait outside Battersea Power Station underground station for the gates to open for the very first time
Public transport enthusiasts take photographs next to a Battersea Power Station roundel
Passengers take pictures on board the first train to travel through the new stations
Passengers pass through the gates at Battersea Power Station as they are opened for the first time
The first extension to the London underground this year was officially opened by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (left) and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (right)
The Northern Line has been extended from Kennington to Battersea Power Station via Nine Elms
Public transport enthusiasts surge into Battersea Power Station underground station as the gates open for the very first time
The area around Nine Elms is undergoing significant regeneration with 40 major development sites creating 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 homes
The extension provides Northern Line tube service to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station (pictured), areas that have seen extensive redevelopment in recent years
The Northern Line extension began in 2015 and is expected to open in September at the earliest after it was delayed three years ago due to ‘miscalculations’. It starts at Kennington and will terminate at the Grade II-listed Battersea Power Station, a decommissioned coal-fired plant owned by Malaysian investors
Transport for London hopes construction of the nearly 2 mile tunnel extension will help contribute to the capital’s recovery from the pandemic.
The £1.1bn project to extend the line from Kennington to Battersea Power Station began in 2015 and was completed just a year behind schedule, despite a pause because of the pandemic.
Mr Khan said the extension, the first on the Northern Line for more than 80 years, is a ‘step forward’ in helping the capital recover from the pandemic, as well as helping the ‘nation’s economy’.
A public transport enthusiast wears a London Underground map facemask as he travels on the first train departing from Battersea Power Station underground station
Mr Khan (right) said the opening of the extension is a ‘step forward’ in helping London recover from the pandemic, as well as helping the ‘nation’s economy’
Transport for London said the extension will support around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes
The underground station at Battersea Power Station opened to passengers today
The extension to the Northern Line, from Kennington to Battersea Power Station took six years and cost approximately £1.1billion
TfL said the extension is supporting around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes as part of significant regeneration in the area around Nine Elms. The 40 major development sites creating the new jobs and homes are taking place between now and 2030.
In addition, TfL says, construction of the extension boosted the UK economy and supported around 1,000 jobs, including 79 apprenticeships.
Billions of pounds of investment have been pumped into the area in recent years, including through the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and the building of a new US Embassy in Nine Elms.
The power station will open next summer after being transformed into a huge shopping, entertainment and office block – complete with more than 200 in-built apartments for the super-rich.
The extension project also saw the 2.5km stretch of Nine Elms Lane and Battersea Park Road completely redesigned to make it ‘more attractive, accessible and people friendly’.
The Greater London Authority borrowed £1billion for the expansion, which will be funded through business rates from the local area and around £270 million of contributions paid by developers.
The scheme takes the total number of Tube stations to 272.
A man travels on the escalator as Nine Elms underground station opens for the first time
A man walks across the new platform at Battersea Power Station underground station on the first morning the station opened to the public
Peter Torre wears a handmade sign after being the first person to travel the full length of the Northern Line to the end of the new extension
People take pictures as they wait on the first train to depart from Battersea Power Station underground station
Shortly after the gates at Battersea Power Station underground station opened, enthusiasts travelled down to the platform to get on board the first train to leave
The project to expand the Northern Line has taken the number of stations on the London underground to 272
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (centre) and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (left) were on board as the two new stations opened to the public
Passengers at Battersea Power Station underground station uses the facilities on the first day
The first train left Battersea Power Station at 5.28am on Monday and there will be an initial peak time service of six trains per hour on the extension, which will rise to 12 trains per hour by mid-2022.
There will be five trains per hour during off-peak times, doubling to 10 trains per hour next year.
Both new stations are in Zone 1 and Kennington has become a Zone1/2 station, to avoid penalising those using it as an interchange.
It means customers going to and from central London will only pay a Zone 1 fare.
Those travelling between Kennington and the city centre will also see their single pay-as-you-go fare reduced to £2.40, regardless of the time.
The fare zone change also means that those who travel from Kennington towards Balham, Tooting and Morden will also not pay any extra as a result of the extension to the 36-mile line, a TfL statement said earlier this year.
Transport for London (TfL) announced that Kennington is changing from a Zone 2 to a Zone 1/2 station as apart of the Tube extension
Circus West Village at Battersea Power Station, the newly opened residential and public centre in Battersea
Along the Northern Line extension, house prices have risen. In Nine Elms – the site of the £750million state-of-the-art US Embassy, the most expensive of its kind in the world – prices rose from £675,952 to £902,109 in 2015-20
The power station has undergone major redevelopment as the site of more than 100 retail shops, restaurants and cafes, including tech giant Apple’s new 500,000 sq ft London campus
Researchers at Savills estate agent told MailOnline the zone change in Kennington is likely to cause house prices in the area to rise as demand for homes along the south bank increase as a result of increased public access to Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea, an officially designated regeneration area.
Data shared with this publication shows the average house price in Kennington some 500m from the station between 2010-20 rose from £381,751 to £581,007, while house prices in Nine Elms – the site of the £750million state-of-the-art US Embassy – rose from £675,952 to £902,109 in 2015-20.
However a search on Rightmove by MailOnline found that multi-bedroom houses in Kennington cost as much as £1.3million and even £2.5million, while flats overlooking the Thames cost a staggering £3.5million – a sign that the area of the Northern Line extension could be an up-and-coming part of the capital.
The information board displays the times for some of the first trains departing from Battersea Power Station underground station
Queues building in anticipation for the opening of the two new stations on the Northern line
Battersea Power Station takes some of its first passengers
The new Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea is now open
TfL worker (right) with Akita dog Angela and her handler at the new Battersea Power Station tube station
Both new stations are in Zone 1 and Kennington has become a Zone1/2 station, to avoid penalising those using it as an interchange (Pictured: Nine Elms station)
The Greater London Authority borrowed £1 billion for the expansion, which will be funded through business rates from the local area and around £270 million of contributions paid by developers (Pictured: Inside Battersea Power Station station)
The Grade II-listed Battersea Power Station, a decommissioned coal-fired plant owned by Malaysian investors, has undergone major redevelopment as the site of more than 100 retail shops, restaurants and cafes, including tech giant Apple’s new 500,000 sq ft London campus.
Eateries including Gordon Ramsay’s Street Pizza restaurant, No 29 Power Station West, Megan’s Battersea, Tapas Brindisa, Wright Brothers, Fiume, Battersea Brewery and Tonkotsu, were opened in the Circus West Village, the first phase of the power station development which opened in 2017, while much of the station has been converted into 253 apartments with some costing as much as £8.2million.
In the Power Station building itself, there will be brands such as Jo Malone, Hugo Boss, MAC Cosmetics, Space NK, Watches of Switzerland, Jo Malone, British heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua’s gym, BXR and The Cinema at The Power Station with others to be announced shortly.
Dato’ Ahmad Pardas Senin, Chairman of Battersea Project Holding Company, said: ‘The launch of the Northern line extension is an historic moment in British transport history and we are delighted to have been able to support and contribute to this pivotal infrastructure project, which is set to significantly enhance the connectivity of this part of London.
‘This is a proud day for Malaysia and all those involved in transforming the historic iconic Power Station and its surrounding area, being the largest Malaysian investment in the United Kingdom into a new destination where people can live, work and enjoy.’
Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: ‘The launch of the Northern line extension is a major milestone in the regeneration of Battersea Power Station.
‘Improving transport links and connectivity to this area of London has been fundamental to the development from the very beginning, and we are delighted to have played a key role alongside TfL and others in delivering the first major extension to the London Underground this century.
‘Seeing trains coming into the new station this morning was a very proud moment, which wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering commitment of our shareholders.
‘As we countdown to the Power Station opening its doors to the public next year, we look forward to welcoming more visitors travelling on the new tube line from across the capital and further afield to enjoy the thriving riverside neighbourhood we are creating here at Battersea Power Station.’
Passengers make their way into the new station
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan meets members of the Battersea Power Station Community Choir
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (left) and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrive at the newly opened Battersea Power station London Underground station
TfL is aiming to turn the 120-year-old Northern Line, which connects Barnet, Edgware and Morden with central parts of the capital and is in parts 200ft deep, into what it calls the ‘black diamond’ of London.
The extension was given the go-ahead in November 2014 by then Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and construction began the next year. Tunnelling started in March 2017 and finished later that year.
It has periodically run into problems, and stopped completely amid the spread of coronavirus in March 2020.
However, it returned three months later after implementing Covid-secure measures including social distancing.
Catching a glimpse of the station before it opens to the public for the first time
Passengers move around the new Battersea Power Station underground station
