Inside TfL's Newest Accessible Ticket Hall

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28 February 2023

A major £700m upgrade to the ticket hall at Bank Underground station now provides step-free access to the Northern line for the first time.

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40% Greater Capacity at Bank Station

London Underground Limited (LUL) and a team led by design and build contractor Dragados have revealed the latest development in the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade project.

Bank Station has suffered from poor step-free access and very complex wayfinding. The Bank Monument Station Complex is the fourth busiest interchange on the London Underground Network and one of the world’s most complicated subterranean railway stations. Since 2003 demand at Bank Station has risen by over 50 per cent from 222,000 to 337,000 customers per day.

Bank station’s new entrance on Cannon Street provides direct access to the Northern line and DLR. The new ticket hall also provides step-free access to the Northern line for the first time via two new lifts and via six new escalators. Bank station now has 31 escalators, the largest number of any station on the Tube network. 

Before the upgrades, only the DLR was accessible via a step-free route, but it was indirect from street level. Passengers had to take a small remote lift from King William Street into the Northern Line (Lombard Street) ticket hall, a second lift down to the busy Triplication area and then a third lift down to the DLR level.

Bank station now has 40 per cent greater capacity as a result of the major upgrade.

Picture: a photograph of the exterior of the new entrance at Cannon Street. Image Credit: TfL

Improved Wayfinding at Bank Station

Wayfinding at Bank station has also been improved to make it easier and more intuitive to navigate around the station. Improvements include installing new signage and contrast cladding between interchange corridors and platforms.  Previously, station entrances were small and highly dependent on signage.

Additonally, a new platform hump has been installed on the northbound Northern line platform and the newly constructed southbound Northern line platform has been raised to provide level access between the train and the platform. 

Picture: a photograph showing some of the improvements in wayfinding with a large "Bank Station" sign and a pavement-mounted sign saying "Bank Cannon Street". Image Credit: TfL

Bank Over-Station Development

As part of a deal between TTL Properties Ltd and Helical, an eight-storey development above the new station entrance on Cannon Street will include both office and retail space, measuring around 140,000 sq. ft.

Find out more about the development here.

Picture: a photograph showing Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (left) and London's Transport Commissioner Andy Lord travelling on an escalator. Image Credit: TfL

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 28 February 2023

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