First iconic London Underground roundel signs fitted to new Northern Line extension stations

The new extension to London Underground’s Northern line has come one step closer to completion with the installation of the first iconic ‘roundel’ station name signs.

A total of 113 new roundels will be required for the extensions two new stations, Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. They need to be in place before the line is opened in Autumn of 2021.

Manufactured by the family-owned company AJ Wells & Sons on the Isle of Wight, where London transport signage has been produced for generations, these  are the first roundels to be manufactured for a new Northern line station since the opening of the extension to Morden in 1926.

On the Underground as a whole, this is the first major Tube line extension since the Jubilee line in the late 1990s. It will connect Kennington to Battersea Power Station, via Nine Elms, bringing Battersea and surrounding areas to within 15 minutes of the City and the West End.

Currently, work is currently concentrating on fitting-out of the new stations, installing escalators and power supplies while, at the same time, extending the signalling used on the rest of the Northern line into the extension.

Construction of the Northern line extension is part of a scheme to regenerate the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas, encouraging economic growth and creating around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes.

Installation of the first of 62 new roundels at Battersea Power Station and 51 at Nine Elms is therefore a tangible sign that the project is nearing completion.

Transport for London’s director of major projects Stuart Harvey said: “The roundel is recognised around the world as the symbol of London’s transport network, so it’s a highly significant moment when the first one is installed at a new station.

“As well as new roundels, our two Northern Line Extension stations now have track, platforms and escalators as their transformation from concrete shells to state-of-the-art stations continues apace.

“The arrival of the new roundels also demonstrates how sustained investment in the capital’s transport infrastructure benefits not only Londoners but the whole country, through the extensive business supply chain.”