Final phase of Bank station £700m redevelopment completed

Transport for London’s major renovation of Bank station will help commuters cut interchanging times and improve access for customers with disabilities

The Bank Station Capacity Upgrade project, initiated in 2014, saw its final phase be completed on 27 February 2023, remodelling one of the City of London’s main transportation hubs at a cost of £700m.

Bank station is one of the busiest in London with more than 100,000 interchanges made at the station on a typical weekday and around 145,000 entry and exits made at the ticket gates, according to TfL.

“These extensive works have transformed Bank station into a world-class station, fit to serve a financial district of international renown”, said Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who visited the station to mark its completion.

The station has now a 40% greater capacity with the opening of a new ticket hall on Cannon Street and new spacious southbound Northern line platforms.

“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”, said Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner.

The project had 11 phases and many of the improvements at the station have mostly been completed in 2020 and 2022, with the new Walbrook entrance being finished in 2018.

The upgrade also includes two new lifts, with step-free access to the Northern line being introduced for the first time.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said London’s Tube network is ‘key’ to the capital’s wider economic recovery, adding: “These updates to Bank station are just one of the ways I am continually improving London’s transport network to build a safer, more accessible and more prosperous city for all Londoners”.

Direct interchange routes between the Northern line and DLR, with a 9-minute reduction in journeys, have also been unveiled as well as a new 100-metre walkaway facilitating passengers’ journeys between Northern and Central lines.

“With the number of passengers, footfall and demand steadily returning to the City, continued investment into our public transport will be crucial for London’s economic growth”, said The City of London Corporation Policy Chairman, Chris Hayward.

A platform hump has also been installed on the northbound Northern line platform and the southbound platform was elevated to provide level access between the train and the platform, improving accessibility for wheelchair users.

“It’s so much better because the platforms were so much narrower, and it was quite dangerous”

“I used to pop from one platform to the other and then, suddenly, the platform is in a completely different place. That was a huge engineering job. It’s so much better because the platforms were so much narrower, and it was quite dangerous”, said commuter and photographer Rosie Barnes.

Around 550 people worked on the construction at its peak and 38 apprenticeships were completed during the lifetime of the project.

“This project is 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”, said Andy Lord.

The project received 22 awards, including a Fleming Award, covering areas such as Safety, Health and Environment, Engineering and project management.

Feature image by Fellipe Pigatto