Tube bosses are to split the Northern line in two, returning to a system last used almost 90 years ago in an attempt to tackle rush-hour congestion.
They have been given approval by Mayor Boris Johnson to press ahead with an upgrade that will increase the number of trains on the City and Charing Cross branches.But the Charing Cross branch, which serves the West End, will terminate at Kennington. All passengers who are travelling to and from south London and want to use the Charing Cross branch will have to change at Kennington. In addition, trains to and from Morden will travel on the City branch, via Bank and London Bridge.
The Northern line is the Tube's busiest, carrying 660,000 passengers every weekday. But it is also one of the most congested, with northbound trains between London Bridge and Bank suffering some of the highest overcrowding on the network. Transport for London data show that more than four passengers are standing in every square metre of space on northbound trains between the two stations.
Work has already begun on the first phase of the upgrade, which will introduce computerised signalling and a new control centre, increasing capacity by 20 per cent. This should be completed by the end of next year.
The changes at Kennington, which will cost £312 million, will add even more capacity. They will be the second phase of the upgrade, due to be completed by 2018.
By then, the number of trains on the City branch will increase from 22 to 32 an hour northbound and 20 to 28 southbound during the morning peak. The number of trains on the Charing Cross branch in rush hour will rise from 20 to 28 an hour in both directions.
Kennington has been chosen because passengers do not have far to walk between the City and Charing Cross platforms, and because the station has the capacity for Charing Cross trains to be turned round.
Previous attempts to boost capacity involved changing the layout at Camden Town, where many passengers switch between the Edgware and High Barnet branches. But two planning applications to rebuild the station were refused, forcing TfL to look at Kennington.
A TfL spokesman said: "The [first phase of the] upgrade of the Northern line, which we plan to deliver with the minimum of disruption to passengers, will deliver a much needed 20 per cent increase in capacity. But passenger demand is set to continue growing. To meet that, we plan a second upgrade to simplify the service patterns and increase the number of trains. This will further reduce journey times, and further increase capacity by 33 per cent on the City branch and 17 per cent on the Charing Cross branch."
The changes will return the line to a format not seen since 1926. The City and South London Railway ran from King William Street in the City to Stockwell, while the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway became what is now the Northern line's Charing Cross and Edgware branch.
Jo de Bank, spokeswoman for London Travelwatch, said: "It's not the perfect solution but at the moment it's the only solution that can meet the heavy demand for trains on that line."
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23833118-northern-line-service-divided-in-pound-312m-bid-to-end-overcrowding.do
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