Kentish Town station to remain shut until September

Kentish Town station has been closed since June 26, 2023, as both of the 26-year-old escalators at the site were described as “unreliable” and needed to be replaced.

It was originally anticipated that this would be complete in the early summer, and while Transport for London (TfL) says that the new escalators are still set to be complete by then, other improvement works has delayed the station reopening date.

TfL says this could now take until September.

Kentish Town station (Image: TfL)

A TfL spokesperson said: "The work to upgrade the escalators at Kentish Town Tube station is progressing well and we are on track to complete the installation of the new escalators this summer.

"However, during unrelated work to improve other parts of the station we identified assets that require essential repair to allow the station to operate safely.

"Our engineers are doing everything possible to reopen the station, which is projected to happen in September, while ensuring that the high standards of safety our colleagues and customers expect on the Tube are met."

The existing escalators were installed in 1997 and are bespoke to the station, making it difficult to source parts for maintenance and repairs.

They weigh around 40 tonnes each and carry millions of people each year. A typical 15-metre rise escalator has approximately 15,000 moving parts.

Kentish Town tube and Thameslink station showing out of hours entrance (Image: TfL)

The new escalators will be the same model as those used on the Elizabeth line, will be more energy efficient, and are expected to last for around 40 years.

TfL previously said it would use the Northern Line station closure to make other improvements including removing the "redundant ticket office" and realigning the ticket barriers to provide more space for customers and additional ticket gates.

The station will also be painted and deep cleaned, with new floor and wall tiling and improved signage installed.