21.12.18
Northern Line extension to Battersea pushed back by a year to 2021
The extension to the London Underground’s Northern Line to the Battersea power station development has been delayed by a year.
The £1bn project was due to open in 2020 but has now been pushed back to 2021, with the Financial Times reporting that TfL is in disagreement with the Malaysian developers behind the power station redevelopment – which is reportedly already contributing £200m to the extension – over the cost of the overrun.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed the delay at yesterday’s Mayor’s Question Time, saying that the original target of a 2020 opening is “under review.”
This is the latest in a series of setbacks for TfL after further delays and a £1bn bailout to the Crossrail project, and major upgrade plans to the parts of the Underground were put on hold after it was revealed that the Crossrail delays would cost TfL £600m in lost fares.
The extensions from Oval station are seen as vital to the regeneration development on the Thames South Bank— with Caroline Pidgeon, chair of the Greater London Authority Transport Committee, describing the delay as “a serious blow to the regeneration of Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea” and a direct hit to TfL’s finances which are in a “dire state” already.
A Battersea Power Station spokesperson told the Financial Times that they and TfL are continuing to work collaboratively to complete the extension and open a new station at Battersea Power Station, which it claims will bring 40 million people a year.
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