Bank Underground station upgrade now half completed

Work on the upgrade of London Underground’s Bank station has reached the halfway point, Transport for London has announced.

This is a major project. A new running tunnel and platform are being constructed for the southbound Northern line. This will allow the existing platform to be converted into a new concourse which should reduce overcrowding in the station. The current station complex, which includes both Bank and Monument stations, is one of the busiest on the Underground network, with around 120,000 passengers using the station every weekday morning, over 50,000 of whom are changing to another line.

In addition, a new station entrance is being constructed on Cannon Street. Two new lifts will provide step-free access from the street to the Northern line and also improve step-free access to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). 12 new escalators and two moving walkways will also make it easier for passengers to use the station.

TfL’s announcement that the project has passed the halfway stage confirms that excavation of the new Northern line tunnel has been completed and that waterproofing and concrete lining is now underway. Over 200,000 tonnes of material has been excavated from under a particularly complex part of London – there are 31 listed buildings that border the project.

The escalator barrel from the new entrance on Cannon Street to the Northern line platforms is complete and another, that will form a new escalator to the Central line, is nearing completion.

Up to now, most of the construction work has been completed in isolation from the existing station to minimise disruption to passengers.

As well as the progress being made on tunnel excavation, the new station on Cannon Street is beginning to take shape. The main structure will be completed over the summer, allowing interior wall construction and station fit out to start in the autumn. The cross passages to the new Northern line tunnel are also well underway, hidden behind a new ‘secret door’ that can be seen by passengers using the existing southbound platform.

The new tunnel will be connected to the existing Northern line in 2021.

This is not the first recent upgrade to Bank station. A new entrance to the Waterloo & City line on Walbrook opened in December 2018, providing quicker access to and from the City.