The Northern line Bank branch is reopening after 17 weeks

Remember in January when a massive part of the Northern line closed? Well, she’s back and better than ever. 

The Northern line is going to be fully functional again next week. TfL has said that the Bank branch will be reopening on Monday May 16 after its 17-week closure. This is something we have been eagerly waiting for since it announced the closure and now that the time is finally here, we are antsy. 

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at Transport for London, said: ‘I’m delighted to confirm that we’re on schedule to fully reopen the Northern line on Monday 16 May after successfully completing the challenging next phase of vital upgrade works at Bank station. I’d like to thank our customers for their patience during this closure. The improvements we’re making at Bank station will be finished by the end of this year and will totally transform customer journeys through the station. Anyone who’s familiar with Bank station will know how its labyrinthian layout can be confusing and time-consuming to navigate.’

What new improvements can you expect to see?

When work on the Bank’s upgrade is complete, the station’s capacity will have increased by 40 percent, with more improvements on the way, including step-free access to the Northern line and improved access to the DLR platforms, two new moving walkways, 12 new escalators and two new lifts. All this, plus a new station entrance on Cannon Street.

The Route 733 bus, which was established specifically for the Bank branch shutdown period, will make its final journey on Friday May 13. So cross your fingers that nothing goes wrong that day, definitely don’t open an umbrella indoors and hopefully we don’t see black cats outside the reintroduced tube station. 

The project has been underway since 2016 and is now just days away from being completed. So even if it doesn't feature on your daily commute, maybe take a trip to the brand-new Bank station to see what all the fuss has been about. 

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