A free bus service will run at peak times to ease demand from commuters as several Northern line Tube stations close during building work.

“Chaos” was reported when stations were shut between Golders Green and Edgware from April 2 to 11, leaving hundreds waiting for long periods for replacement buses.

It was the first of a series of planned closures as Colindale station is rebuilt – with no trains stopping at Golders Green, Brent Cross, Hendon Central, Colindale, Burnt Oak or Edgware.

Further closures between these stations are scheduled from June 8 to June 9, June 15 to June 16, June 29 to June 30 and July 27 to July 28.

Ham & High: A large queue waiting for a replacement busA large queue waiting for a replacement bus (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

Colindale station itself is set to be closed from June 7 until December.

Earlier this month, Transport for London (TfL) said that “lessons have been learned” after complaints and set out a series of planned changes.

Now further improvements have been announced, with an additional NL6 bus route running every 15 minute at peak times on weekdays between Colindale and Hendon Central.

All journeys on the route will be free of charge, while any journeys taken on the 186 between Mill Hill Broadway and Hendon Central will be auto-refunded.

Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, said: “This means that customers whose journeys are disrupted as a consequence of the closure of Colindale station can access the Northern line with an enhanced bus service, and Thameslink services, at no extra cost.”

In a letter to Hendon’s Labour parliamentary candidate David Pinto-Duschinsky, Mr Dance said: “I fully recognise the disruption that the closure of the station will cause to those who use it while is being upgraded, and we remain committed to ensuring that – for those customers – we do all we can to mitigate the impact while we deliver the improvements.”

Andy Lord, the commissioner of transport at TfL, previously said the transport network was in the process of “procuring service uplifts” during peak hours for the 186 bus.

TfL also vowed to deliver an “enhanced customer information offering” to make journeys to nearby open stations during the closure “as easy as possible”.

Ham & High: Many people were left queuing for ages for replacement buses Many people were left queuing for ages for replacement buses (Image: Colindale Station - Yes to Redevelopment, No to Closure)

During the 10-day closure of the Edgware Northern line branch in April, essential works were carried out to support the Colindale upgrade.

This included completing 34 piled foundations next to the track, the demolition of part of the station and a diversion of the station’s power supply.

TfL claims that any replacement bus issues at the time were due to a combination of factors, including short-notice driver absence, and says the service “stabilised” across the rest of the week.

Many commuters however argued that travelling was difficult throughout most of the 10-day period.