Residents praise £1bn Northern Line extension despite long wait times and poor signage

By James Mayer, local democracy reporter

Residents have praised new Tube stations despite having to wait roughly 24 minutes for direct trains, with poor signage and “ear-splitting” announcements.

The £1 billion Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station has been more than 10 years in the making and opened in September.

The new branch starts from Kennington station on the Charing Cross route.

Because trains are running every 12 minutes off-peak to different destinations, some direct wait times can be more than 24 minutes.

Trains reach High Barnet, Mill Hill East and Edgware directly but there’s a 12 minute wait between each destination, so if you just missed the Edgware Tube, you could be waiting over 24 minutes.

Battersea resident Caroline Wilson said: “The new stations are good because I work up in Westfield so it’s easier to get to. It’s nice for the area.

“Now it’s more convenient to get to Central London.”

The 32-year-old said her only issues with the stations are that “they literally run around every 15 minutes, it’s so bad”.

There are five trains per hour during off-peak times from the new stops at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms. This is set to double to 10 trains per hour next year.

Six trains currently run through the rush hour period, and services will double to 12 trains an hour in 2022.

Maria Hoctor and Mandy Craske from Hendon, which is on the Northern line, said the new stations were “lovely”.

But Mandy added: “It was a bit vague whether we had to wait for a Battersea Power Station Tube at Hendon but in the end we changed at Kennington.”

Maria continued: “We couldn’t see an Edgware Tube destination so it would be nice to know when the Edgware Tube one is, so we’d like a bit more information.

“The announcement when we got off the Tube to ensure we got our belongings was ear-splitting.”

Robert Levy from Belsize Park was visiting a restaurant in the area with his wife said the new stations are “very good, it’s here and I think it’s excellent”.

The 67-year-old added: “Last time we came here, we had to get the Jubilee line to Westminster and walk to Battersea Power Station. It just makes it more accessible now.”

Victoria Towlson, from Bath was looking for a flat in the local area, she said “the new stations and the regeneration” has made her want to live here.

The 22-year-old works in digital marketing in Kennington. It should now only take her a few short minutes on the Northern line to get to work.

Victoria said: “It’s very clean here and it’s now Zone 1. The new stations are big, very tidy and modern.

“I love the outdoor seating area, the location is ideal, it’s quicker than overground trains too.”

A spokesperson from TfL, said: “All of the northern terminuses on the Northern line (High Barnet, Mill Hill East and Edgware) will have trains running to/from Battersea Power Station.

“Customers are, however, advised to take the first train and change where necessary.

“Ensuring our customers have the right information to get around is important to us, which is why we have exit signage at the new Tube station at Battersea showing how to get to the power station at both ticket hall level and at the station exit.

“There is also a large hoarding directly opposite the exit that shows the quickest route by foot to the power station and we will be erecting legible London maps and totems in the near future, which show all the places of interest within a 10-minute walking distance.

“Development in the area is still underway and as this is completed we will update our local signs and information for customers continuing their journey from the station.”

Pictured top: Robert Levy