Transport for LondonNorthern line
Northern Line Manager Pat Hansberry
We want to let you know what we're doing to your line and how it will help you.
Here, your line manager will be giving you updates about disruptions or closures, and tell you about the improvements you'll see when we're finished.
You can also hear from the men in charge of the overall plan to upgrade the Tube, and get answers to some of the common questions we get asked.
What's going on?
Our upgrade of the Northern line - the busiest on the Tube network - is well underway.
The work we're doing will make your journeys faster and smoother with a new, high-tech signalling system and control centre.
Fast, frequent service
We know it's not something you see or take much notice of, but new signalling will allow us to run more trains, more often, with fewer failures. By running them more quickly and closer together, it'll mean more room - or capacity - on the line. This is vital as nearly a million people ride the Northern line each day, and numbers are growing.
When the upgrade is complete in 2014, the line capacity will increase by a fifth. This means we can carry the equivalent of an extra 11,000 passengers an hour.
At the same time, journey times will be reduced by 18 per cent.
Signalling upgrade
A lot of preparatory work for the Northern line upgrade has already been done to replace a system that dates back to the 1950s. We've put in new trackside wiring and other equipment, and converted the line's trains so they're ready for the new system. Much of the work has been done at night.
The first phase of this huge project has now been completed with trains already successfully using the new signalling at the top end of the line between High Barnet and West Finchley.
There's still a lot to do to test the new system on the rest of the line and so there will be some weekend closures on parts of the line from time to time.
Edgware branch upgrade works
From early December 2012 through to early 2014, service on the Edgware branch of the line will start up slightly later on some Sundays. This is to allow for more work to be completed on Sunday morning when it is very lightly used.
See links below for detailed information and travel advice.
Check the dates affected by work on the Planned works calendar or our Six-month look ahead (PDF 554KB).
See details of the first train times at the affected stations (PDF 197KB)
Alternative travel advice (PDF 155KB)
Track Renewal
In addition to the signalling upgrade work, we're also carrying out track renewal - including heavy engineering to replace tracks and sleepers, which will result in smoother, quieter and more reliable journeys.
Some closures of the Charing Cross branch will also be necessary to facilitate work for the massive upgrade of Tottenham Court Road station. Read more about the Tottenham Court Road station upgrade
See the Planned works calendar for affected dates.
Separating the branches
We can also increase the number of trains we run if we partly separate the two branches of the Northern line.
Eventually, we plan to partly separate the lines so that all trains from Morden run via Bank, and all trains starting at Kennington run via Charing Cross.
This would allow us to run 28-32 trains an hour on all branches, compared with 20 an hour today, and 24 after the current upgrade.
Northern line extension
A consultation on the proposed extension of the Northern line to Nine Elms and Battersea was held in 2012. Read more about the Northern line extension.
Bank station
At peak times, Bank is one of the most congested stations on the Underground. It's also a complex one as it's interlinked with nearby Monument.
To help remove some of the bottlenecks, we're refurbishing or replacing all of its 15 escalators. We'll also be introducing a one-way system in parts of the station, which should help ease congestion while the work's being done.
We aim to keep Bank open throughout the works, but it's a big, complex project, so please bear with us.
King's Cross St. Pancras
This station sees more passengers a year than Heathrow Airport. In 2010, we completed a massive redevelopment of King's Cross St. Pancras that quadrupled the size of this key station.
King's Cross St. Pancras is now modern and spacious, has step-free access to all lines, and is less congested thanks to new ways to enter and exit the station.
Tottenham Court Road station
If you've visited Tottenham Court Road lately, you may have noticed that one of the Central line's busiest stations, is being re-built. It's a really exciting project that'll change the way the station and the area around it is used.
By the time it's complete in 2016, the station will have a new ticket hall, step-free access to the platforms, and a pedestrianised plaza outside the station.
It will also be an interchange station for Crossrail, with 24 trains an hour expected to pass through the station each way during peak periods.
There's a lot of work to be done at the station, so please bear with us. We'll try to keep disruptions to a minimum.
When will the work be finished?
Key improvements
- New signalling system
- Capacity increased by 20%
- Faster, more reliable journeys
- More frequent trains
- Major stations more accessible
- See also
- About London Underground
- Crossrail
Check if your Tube line is affected by improvement works
