The Bank Branch of the Northern Line on the London Underground has reopened after a major upgrade that has included the construction of a whole new tunnel for trains.
Other work has included a wider southbound platform and further work due to be completed later this year will add new escalators and lifts, better street access and an easier link to the Docklands Light Railway.
New Tube work also means the installation of concrete waterproofing systems to ensure tunnels are protected against water ingress, a process that is necessary both when digging new tunnels – such as the new Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station – or maintaining existing tunnels.
Speaking about the work, London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Bank station is at the heart of the city and these improvements are the first step towards a modern, accessible, easy to navigate station fit for the 21st century.” He added that the station is “one of the most complicated underground stations in the world,” making the investment all the more valuable.
Chief capital officer at Transport for London Start Harvey said: “The old layout was very constrained, leading to frequent congestion, but Northern line customers will now be able to make their journeys much more quickly and easily.”
It is not just in London that significant underground work has been bearing fruit.
Last week, the Argyle line in Glasgow was reopened after the completion of a £32 million engineering and infrastructure upgrade project involving Scotrail and Network Rail that had caused an eight-week closure.
This included significant tunnel repair work as the line runs underground in the city centre and out as far as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre station.
Both the main city centre stations, Glasgow Central and Queen Street, have lower level platforms. These provide mainline rail connections are not connected with the Subway, the Glasgow equivalent of the Tube.