09.11.17
Breakthrough in major Northern line extension
A major milestone has been reached by TfL in the Northern line extension project.
Tunnel boring machine, Amy, has broken through at Kennington, meaning that the two 3.2km tunnels from Battersea Power Station, via Nine Elms, have now been built.
Amy and sister tunnelling machine, Helen, have been working on the north and southbound tunnels since their launch in spring.
The extension, which is the first major extension to a Tube line since the Jubilee line in the 1990s, will extend the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line.
The extension will make the City and the West End accessible from Battersea in just 15 minutes, and it is anticipated that it will encourage the regeneration of the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas, with 25,000 new jobs and over 20,000 new homes.
Mike Brown MVO, London’s transport commissioner, said he was “delighted” at the breakthrough.
He stated: “Both machines have had to navigate a challenging, congested path under south London which included sewers, power cables, a Victorian-era well, and existing Victoria and Northern line tunnels.
“This achievement brings us a significant step closer to the delivery of the first major Tube extension in nearly two decades.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, praised the project: “Both machines have had to navigate a challenging, congested path under south London which included sewers, power cables, a Victorian-era well, and existing Victoria and Northern line tunnels.
“This achievement brings us a significant step closer to the delivery of the first major Tube extension in nearly two decades.”
The work is on track to be completed in 2020, and so far the work has progressed without interruption to Northern line services.
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