The Anonymous Widower

Kentish Town Station – 30th April 2023

This article on the BBC is entitled Kentish Town Tube Station Set To Close For Year.

This is the sub-heading.

Kentish Town Tube station is set to close for up to a year while its 26-year-old escalators are replaced.

Other works will also be performed during the closure.

• The ticket office will be removed.
• The ticket barriers will be realigned.
• New paintworks, flooring, wall tiling, and new signage will also be fitted.

These pictures show the current state of Kentish Town station.

Note.

1. The Victorian frontage of the station could do with a refurbishment.
2. The platforms need to be restored to be the same standard as the clock.
3. The escalators don’t look as bad as the article says, but new ones will give them forty years.
4. Information around the gate-line for both the Underground and Thameslink, is not to the standards this passenger expects.
5. The stairs connecting the London Underground station to the Thameslink bridge could be improved.
6. The Thameslink information is good.
7. The bridge needs lifts.

There is even a side-gate to access the Thameslink platforms, if the main entrance is closed.

Are More Trains Needed?

For a Sunday morning, both stations were surprisingly busy.

But there were only two Thameslink trains per hour (tph) between Luton and Rainham.

On all days except Sunday, the four tph Sutton Loop Line is usually running, but on Sunday it appears it’s only the Luton and Rainham service.

I suspect the Sunday service will be boosted for the duration of the closure.

Could The Side Gate Be Used Permanently?

The side-gate to the Thameslink platforms will have to be used during the station closure.

But could some arrangement be designed, so that it could be used all of the time?

Conclusion

With an unlimited budget, there’s a lot that could be done at this station.

April 30, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Kentish Town Station, London Underground, Sutton Loop Line, Thameslink