Kentish Town Tube station has reopened after an 18-month closure for escalator replacements, but some services are still not available.
Kentish Town: The Tube station is finally back in action after being closed for what felt like forever. It shut down in June 2023 for some much-needed escalator upgrades.
It opened its doors again early Monday morning, which was a relief for many commuters. But hold on, the new ticket machines won’t be ready until the New Year. So, if you need to top up your Oyster card or grab a paper ticket, you’ll have to wait a bit longer.
Also, if you’re catching a Thameslink train, you’ll have to use a temporary entrance for a few weeks. It’s just 20 meters down Kentish Town Road, but still a bit of a hassle.
And just a heads up, the station will close again on Tuesday night and won’t reopen until Boxing Day. No Tube services on Christmas Day, of course.
In good news for Northern line riders, Colindale station also reopened recently, though it’s still in a “temporary state.” They’ve been working on that one for six months, and it’s not fully done yet.
The work at Kentish Town took longer than expected because they found more issues than they thought. The escalators were 26 years old and had become super unreliable. It was tough for Transport for London to find parts when they broke down.
They’ve done a lot of work, like removing the old ticket office and adding more ticket gates. The station now has a fresh look while keeping some of its historic features, like the original clocks.
These new escalators are built to last for 40 years, and they’ll even run slower when not in use to save energy. Richard Jones from TfL thanked everyone for their patience during the long wait and said the upgrades will make the station much nicer to use.
So, if you’re in the area, check it out! It’s a lot more spacious and welcoming now.