Four months of lift closures at Elephant & Castle Underground station
Lifts at the Northern line entrance to Elephant & Castle Tube station will be closed during peak times from January 4 until May 24 2021, Transport for London has announced.
TfL have said they plan to replace the doors and other associated parts of the lifts to make them more reliable and install a new fire detection system in the lift shaft as part of its “commitment to increasing safety”.
Esther Sharples, Director of Asset Operations for London Underground, said: “This work will make a significant improvement to journeys through Elephant & Castle station. The lifts to the Northern line are very unreliable and prone to breaking down, making journeys longer and disrupting our customers.
“The improvements will mean the lifts are more reliable and will improve accessibility at the station. We apologise for the disruption caused by this work, but we will do all we can to keep customers informed while it goes on.”
The lifts will close one at a time, with the first closed between January and March and the second immediately afterwards until May.
The closures will affect capacity at the Northern line ticket hall, making it exit-only during weekday peak periods throughout the duration of the maintenance work.
The current commuter demand at Elephant & Castle is around 35% of what it was pre-pandemic and, according to TfL, is expected to remain at a similar level until spring next year which is why the work is being carried out now.
Customers who need to access either the Northern or Bakerloo lines at Elephant & Castle are advised to use the Bakerloo line ticket hall, which is approximately a two-minute walk from the Northern line entrance.
The Northern line entrance will be exit-only between 07.00 and 10.00 on weekday mornings and between 16.00 and 19.00 on weekday evenings