A new step-free entrance to the Underground station at Battersea Power Station opened today (Monday 6 October), giving Tube customers a second fully accessible entrance for accessing Northern line services. The new entrance provides quicker and more direct access to the station for those travelling to and from the riverside neighbourhood’s new pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard, as well as improving links for residents in the wider Battersea area.
Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, and Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, were among the first to visit the new Electric Boulevard Underground entrance, alongside local four-legged residents from the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which is just a three-minute walk from the station. They were joined by Sam Cotton, Interim CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, and Simon Hogg, Leader of Wandsworth Council.
The new entrance has two escalators and a lift and provides additional capacity, helping to future-proof the station for projected increases in customer demand. It was funded by Battersea Power Station (BPS), Transport for London (TfL), the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Wandsworth Council.
The new Zone 1 London Underground station at Battersea Power Station opened four years ago on 20 September 2021, alongside the Northern Line Extension’s other new Tube station at Nine Elms. Since then, the two step-free Zone 1 stations have given a huge boost to the area’s connectivity, reducing journey times and helping to support the ongoing delivery of around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes. The extension of the Northern line to Battersea Power Station, alongside the opening of the Elizabeth line and the regeneration driven by the London Overground network, is a real-life example of the significant economic and housing benefits that major transport projects have.
In the past year, the Northern Line Extension has seen 13.4 million journeys which is at the top end of TfL’s estimates from previous modelling. Battersea Power Station is the busier of the two new stations, seeing 9.4 million trips in the past year, with Nine Elms clocking just over 4 million trips. Battersea Power Station typically sees more than 175,000 trips per week and more than 35,000 trips are routinely recorded on the busiest days, with Saturday being the busiest. Analysis of journey times before and after opening of the extension found it had led to an average 17-minute reduction in passenger journey times between the area and the City and West End, representing a decrease of almost 50 per cent.
Simon Hogg, Leader of Wandsworth Council, Sarah Banham, Head of Community and Sustainability at BPSDC, Sam Cotton, Interim CEO at BPSDC, Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor and Andy Lord, TfL
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Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, said: “London is for everyone, and the Mayor and I are committed to making our transport network as accessible as possible, enabling more people to enjoy all our great city has to offer. Opening this new station entrance in Battersea will support our ongoing work to deliver the Mayor’s ambitious target of making 50 per cent of the network step-free by 2030 and building a better, fairer, more accessible London for everyone.”
Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Chief Capital Officer, said: “The opening of the Northern Line Extension has been a game changer for this thriving riverside neighbourhood, increasing its connectivity and cutting journey times. The new Tube station at Battersea Power Station saw nearly 10 million trips in the past year and with the Opportunity Area continually developing, we expect these figures to grow even further. Making our transport network as accessible as possible is one of our top priorities and this additional step-free entrance, which is a clear demonstration of how strong collaboration between public and private sector partners can boost public services, improves the station’s accessibility and provides additional capacity. It means that the station is well placed to serve this growing community for many decades to come.”
