Transport for London has completed the seven-year upgrade of Bank Underground station, which has created greater capacity, easier interchange between lines, and step-free access to the Northern Line for the first time.
Construction began on the £700 million project in 2016, and culminated with this week’s official opening of a street-level entrance onto Cannon Street, with a new ticket hall, six escalators and lifts.
This follows the unveiling of a new station entrance at the Bloomberg building in 2018, and the opening of a new southbound Northern Line platform and customer concourse in May 2022.
In October last year work was also completed on the creation of more direct interchange routes between the Northern Line and DLR, and between the Northern and Central Lines, which TfL said has “shaved up to nine minutes off journey times for some customers”.
Wayfinding has also been improved, and “a new platform hump has been installed on the northbound Northern line platform and the newly constructed southbound Northern line platform has been raised to provide level access between the train and the platform”.
TfL said that customers make more than 100,000 interchanges at the interlinked Bank and Monument stations on a typical weekday, with the two stations being served by five Underground Lines and the DLR.
Bank now has a total of 31 escalators – the most of any station on the Tube network, and the two stations combined now have five ticket halls, nine lifts and ten platforms.
TfL also provided an update on usage of the London Underground, stating that 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 at the start of 2022.
Overall weekday ridership of the Tube network is now at around 75-80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, while weekend usage is “increasingly approaching pre-pandemic levels, with key tourist stations in central London now beginning to exceed pre-pandemic levels at certain times on Saturdays”.
Commenting on the news Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said:
“The completion of this major upgrade of one of the Tube network’s busiest interchanges is a hugely important moment for the Square Mile, which is now served by a modern, accessible station with vastly improved capacity.
“Customers have already told us how the new interchanges are making their journeys quicker and easier, and the new entrance on Cannon Street is set to further improve the passenger experience.
“It’s a great reminder of how investment in our Tube network, which celebrates its 160th birthday this year, supports the growth and success of the capital and wider country, and is playing a pivotal role in helping London continue to recover from the pandemic.”
The new follows the opening of the much-delayed Elizabeth Line in May 2022, and the subsequent opening of the Bond Street Elizabeth Line stop in October last year.
