UK: Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin has granted a Transport & Works Act Order for Transport for London to extend London Underground’s Northern Line to Battersea.
TfL submitted a TWO application in April 2013, which was followed by a formal consultation and public inquiry. Construction of the 3·3 km extension with two stations could begin early next year for opening in 2020.
‘I am delighted we can confirm that early next year the spades will be hitting the ground for the creation of the Northern line extension. Driven by improved transport links, this part of central London is set to move forward a century in a matter of a few years, supporting 24 000 new jobs and more than 18 000 new homes’, said Mayor Boris Johnson.
The cost is expected to be ‘up to £1bn’, funded entirely through contributions from taxes generated by new commercial developments in an enterprise zone that will be created in 2016 for 25 years.
Earlier this year TfL awarded Ferrovial Agroman Laing O’Rourke a design-build contract covering the main construction works.
- Commissioning of Thales Seltrac IS CBTC on the Northern Line is expected to provide a 20% increase in peak capacity from December, enough for an additional 11 000 passengers/h. By 2020 frequencies are to increase to ‘at least 30 trains/h’.
