Kentish Town station closure from 26th June

[90sWereBetter]

https://londonist.com/london/transport/kentish-town-tube-station-to-close-for-a-year

Transport for London (TfL) has announced a year-long closure of Kentish Town tube station for essential repairs. The closure will begin on 26 June 2023 and last until an unspecified date "up to one year" in the future.


The closure is chiefly to make repairs to the escalators. The machinery has broken down on a number of occasions, and the ad hoc repairs have proven unreliable. Indeed, it was at Kentish Town that we snapped this photo a couple of years ago:


The year-long closure will not only be an inconvenience for the good people of NW5, but will also disrupt the journeys of some passengers of Thameslink, which shares the station. It's a popular interchange for people living in places like Hendon, Mill Hill, Borehamwood and St Albans. The Thameslink station will remain open, but the handy interchange with the Northern line will obviously not be possible (an alternative would be to change at St Pancras, but it's not as convenient).

TfL provides some interesting details about the glitchy escalators, which are 26 years old:

The existing escalators, which are the most unreliable on the Underground network, were installed in 1997 and are bespoke to the station, making it difficult to source parts for maintenance and repairs. The new escalators will be the same model as those used on the Elizabeth line and throughout the London Underground network making sourcing parts much easier and this will lead to a reduction in unplanned station closures, improving reliability for customers. They are expected to last for around 40 years.

The year long closure will be used to make a few other alterations to the station, including the removal of the ticket office (no longer used), realignment of the ticket gates and a deep clean.

As a regular gig-goer at the Kentish Town Forum, this closure is going to be a pain in the proverbial! It does make sense though.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

How far away is the nearest London Underground alternative station to Kentish Town (Northern Line)?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Tufnell Park is about 500 - 600 metres literally down the road; the Overground station Kentish Town West is a similar distance in the opposite direction but round a corner.

 

[Gaelan]

How far away is the nearest London Underground alternative station to Kentish Town (Northern Line)?

Looking at a map, it’s Tufnell Park (Northern Line, 0.5 mile walk to the north). On the mainline side of things, Kentish Town West (Overground, 0.5 mile walk to the west) and of course Kentish Town itself (Thameslink).

 

[90sWereBetter]

Half a mile to Tufnell Park isn't much, but after a gruelling couple of hours bouncing around to indie rock at the Forum it's a huge trudge.

 

[matt_world2004]

I don't understand why the thameslink platform needs to close . There is an entrance to that , which doesn't involve going in buildings

 

[Gaelan]

I don't understand why the thameslink platform needs to close . There is an entrance to that , which doesn't involve going in buildings

Is it? The article OP quoted doesn't seem to think so:

The Thameslink station will remain open, but the handy interchange with the Northern line will obviously not be possible (an alternative would be to change at St Pancras, but it's not as convenient).

 

[90sWereBetter]

Is it? The article OP quoted doesn't seem to think so:

Every source I've seen specifically mentions that the Thameslink portion of the station will remain open.

 

[Magdalia]

Tufnell Park is about 500 - 600 metres literally down the road

Down the road is an unfortunate choice of words - Kentish Town to Tuffnell Park is uphill.

Every source I've seen specifically mentions that the Thameslink portion of the station will remain open.

But access to the Thameslink platforms is only by very long fixed staircases. There are no escalators or lifts. Same at Kentish Town West.

When I visit the area I always try to arrive at Kentish Town West, which is above street level, and depart from Kentish Town, which is below street level. That way I only have to walk down stairs not up.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Down the road is an unfortunate choice of words - Kentish Town to Tuffnell Park is uphill.

Good point...

 

[Mojo]

But access to the Thameslink platforms is only by very long fixed staircases. There are no escalators or lifts. Same at Kentish Town West.

“Very long?” They seem a standard length footbridge step, and as the station sits in a cutting unlike many locations where you have to go up and down, aside from a couple of steps up from street level, you’re only going one way

 

[su31]

I worked at Kentish Town station until last November. The reason the station is closing for that long is due to the layout of the ticket hall including support pillars which run from the escalator machine chamber up to the (empty) restaurant upstairs.
The 'up' escalator has to be removed to allow the 'down' escalator to be removed, and they have to then be installed in the reverse order. This is why they can't replace one at a time and keep the station open for exit only. The London Fire Brigade wouldn't allow the station to be open without escalators due to the depth and logistics involved; plus most of ticket hall floor would have to be lifted for the heavy lifting of the escalators themselves.

 

[Magdalia]

I worked at Kentish Town station until last November. The reason the station is closing for that long is due to the layout of the ticket hall including support pillars which run from the escalator machine chamber up to the (empty) restaurant upstairs.
The 'up' escalator has to be removed to allow the 'down' escalator to be removed, and they have to then be installed in the reverse order. This is why they can't replace one at a time and keep the station open for exit only. The London Fire Brigade wouldn't allow the station to be open without escalators due to the depth and logistics involved; plus most of ticket hall floor would have to be lifted for the heavy lifting of the escalators themselves.

Thanks for this.

I have always accessed the Thameslink platforms via the ticket hall, so how will Thameslink users get in and out if the ticket hall is closed?

“Very long?”

I mean lots of steps, probably the equivalent of three floors in an office or apartment block.

 

[90sWereBetter]

Thanks for this.

I have always accessed the Thameslink platforms via the ticket hall, so how will Thameslink users get in and out if the ticket hall is closed?

There is a second entrance/exit sandwiched between the LU station building and the florists on Kentish Town Road.

 

[Starmill]

Down the road is an unfortunate choice of words - Kentish Town to Tuffnell Park is uphill.


But access to the Thameslink platforms is only by very long fixed staircases. There are no escalators or lifts. Same at Kentish Town West.

When I visit the area I always try to arrive at Kentish Town West, which is above street level, and depart from Kentish Town, which is below street level. That way I only have to walk down stairs not up.

I appreciate that it's poor that this part of the Northern line doesn't have better step-free access. There is step-feee access at Camden Road or Gospel Oak from where a bus would be available but obviously that's not ideal. There are also lifts at West Hampstead Thameslink but that's even further away.

 

[Magdalia]

I appreciate that it's poor that this part of the Northern line doesn't have better step-free access. There is step-feee access at Camden Road or Gospel Oak from where a bus would be available but obviously that's not ideal. There are also lifts at West Hampstead Thameslink but that's even further away.

And the Overground West Hampstead station has relatively recently got lifts too.

There is a second entrance/exit sandwiched between the LU station building and the florists on Kentish Town Road.

I remember that as usually having a locked gate!

And presumably there's no barriers to go through there.

 

[Leisurefirst]

And the Overground West Hampstead station has relatively recently got lifts too.


I remember that as usually having a locked gate!

And presumably there's no barriers to go through there.

The Thameslink entrance gets opened very late at night for the overnight trains IIRC.

 

[Snow1964]

I worked at Kentish Town station until last November. The reason the station is closing for that long is due to the layout of the ticket hall including support pillars which run from the escalator machine chamber up to the (empty) restaurant upstairs.
The 'up' escalator has to be removed to allow the 'down' escalator to be removed, and they have to then be installed in the reverse order. This is why they can't replace one at a time and keep the station open for exit only. The London Fire Brigade wouldn't allow the station to be open without escalators due to the depth and logistics involved; plus most of ticket hall floor would have to be lifted for the heavy lifting of the escalators themselves.

The escalator shaft was a later addition, on the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway, stations generally had two or three 23 feet diameter lift shafts and smaller shaft for the spiral stairs. Just checked a book and appears that both Kentish Town and the long closed South Kentish Town had two lift shafts (doesn't mean all shafts had lifts fitted from outset and some weren't installed to save money.)

 

[Kay_M]

What's the distance between Kentish Town and Chalk Farm as that could be another alternative station people could use along with Tufnell Park

 

[Enthusiast]

What's the distance between Kentish Town and Chalk Farm as that could be another alternative station people could use along with Tufnell Park

It's about 1.5km (one mile or thereabouts) but not a straightforward walk. Alternatively six minutes on the 393 bus.

 

[Mawkie]

I mean lots of steps, probably the equivalent of three floors in an office or apartment block.

I suppose 'lots' is open to interpretation. I counted 36 today when I ran up them, give or take. And 2 flat 'refuges' if someone needed a rest after the first 12 (or next 12).

Picture shows a satellite view of the stairs at Kentish Town.

 

[30120]

The 134 bus goes Tufnell Park -- Kentish Town ---Camden Town , so no need to walk.

 

[Magdalia]

I suppose 'lots' is open to interpretation. I counted 36 today when I ran up them, give or take. And 2 flat 'refuges' if someone needed a rest after the first 12 (or next 12).

For me 36 steps is too many. Domestic staircases are usually 13-14 steps and that's about the limit for me.

The flat refuges at Kentish Town are not big enough to rest without causing an obstruction. And resting more than once is a significant addition to journey time.

Bear in mind that there will be more users on the Thameslink platforms/trains and local buses when the Northern Line is closed.

Sometimes people who are capable of running up a flight of 36 stairs don't think what it is like for those that can't. In my younger days I was probably guilty of that.

 

[Mawkie]

For me 36 steps is too many.

And of course, for some, 1 step is too many. The point being, if people are aware of the physical constraints of the environment, they can make choices that suit their needs.

(I'm in my 50s, and relatively fit, but I know full well how our built environment limits less able bodied people.)

 

[Lewisham2221]

Am I correct in thinking that LU have previously managed to complete works significantly ahead of schedule when they've closed a station completely for works, or am I thinking of something else entirely?

 

[Mikey C]

The 134 bus goes Tufnell Park -- Kentish Town ---Camden Town , so no need to walk.

Though in this case the last thing I imagine the Underground want is more people using Camden Town!

 

[miklcct]

I use this station a lot mainly for the Thameslink - Northern line interchange as it is the fastest way to access Central London from Thameslink, especially to the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line.

Also, will there be a ticket machine available throughout the closure, or will that mean there will be no ticketing facilities instead and I have to pay on arrival to get out the barrier? I sometimes buy my ticket there to travel to Cricklewood in the evening peak and this journey isn't e-ticketable.

If you usually buy your ticket at Kentish Town, remember to buy it in advance while the ticket machines aren’t available.

 

[Tubeboy]

As part of the work involves demolishing part of the ticket office building, I think it’s highly likely that there will be no ticket issuing facilities. The station will effectively be a building site.

 

[Hadders]

A TVM really ought to be installed, even if it is on the pavement adjecent to the station. It wouldn't be desirable for a station like this to have no barriers and no ticket issuing facilities, could cause all sorts of problems for passengers (and GTR) when they try to purchase a ticket at their destination because that is the first opportunity to buy one...

 

[Gaelan]

A TVM really ought to be installed, even if it is on the pavement adjecent to the station. It wouldn't be desirable for a station like this to have no barriers and no ticket issuing facilities, could cause all sorts of problems for passengers (and GTR) when they try to purchase a ticket at their destination because that is the first opportunity to buy one...

How does that work on Oyster/contactless/keyGo? Are there at least validators on the platform?