12.10.15
LU opens consultation on ‘transformative’ Camden Town station upgrades
London Underground (LU) has published proposals to “completely transform” the Camden Town Tube station for public consultation today (12 October).
To meet the station’s projected growth in demand, estimated to rise by 60% “over the coming years”, LU listed a series of proposals that could help revamp the site.
Part of these changes include a new entrance and exit to the station, three new escalators, step-free access from the street to trains, more space to change between trains and keeping the station open during busy periods.
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This will include new station tunnels as part of a wide concourse at the bottom of the escalator connecting to the existing station, as well as new cross passages creating more space to enter, exit and change trains.
Proposals are expected to benefit the Northern Line by enabling future capacity benefits. The upgrade forms part of a “large investment programme” to transform the line – including adding a signalling upgrade which has achieved a 20% increase in capacity through central London, according to LU.
Further elements of the investment programme include the proposed Night Tube service between Morden and High Barnet/Edgware via Charing Cross, as well as plans to increase capacity and improve stations at Elephant & Castle, Tottenham Court Road and Bank.
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Gareth Powell, LU’s director for strategy, said: “Camden Town is already one of our busiest interchange stations, and customer numbers are set to rise rapidly as London’s population grows.
“Our plans to modernise and expand the station would mean a new entrance, step-free access, and much better journeys for customers. We’re keen to hear as many views on our plans as possible, so that we deliver the improvements that people want to see.”
LU is also working closely with Camden Council on all proposals so that work on the station can begin in 2019, if funding and relevant permissions are acquired. It is expected to be completed in 2023-24.
Public consultation on the proposals closes on 11 December.
In August, RTM reported that plans to split the Northern Line into two has been stymied before by the need for extensive remodelling of Camden Town station. The last major attempt to do so collapsed in 2004 amid widespread local and eventually national opposition because it would have meant losing important buildings around the station.
But in 2013, TfL unveiled refreshed plans, which would see the station rebuilt for 2024. The station would become a key interchange between the two separated Northern lines.
The latest consultation does not specifically reference the splitting of the Northern Line, referring instead, euphemistically, to “future capacity benefits on the Northern Line”.
But TfL board papers have been clear that it wants to “deliver a fully separated Northern Line offering between 33 and 36tph by April 2023”. Those plans depend on the prior implementation of the Camden Town Station Congestion Relief scheme, for which Transport and Works Act Order approval is expected during autumn 2017.
Andy Bourne, LU head of automatic train control, had previously told RTM that work on preparing for the next Northern Line upgrades will see a complete separation of the line into two to achieve frequencies of up to 36 trains per hour.