Kentish Town Station – 24th December 2024
Kentish Town station reopened today after the fitting of two new escalators.
It appears that only the two escalators have been replaced and the station has been redecorated.
The Guy With The Hat
Note in the pictures(18-24) going down the escalator, I was following a guy in a checked shirt and a wide-brimmed hat.
When a train was entering the station below he was having difficulty because of the updraft keeping hold of the hat.
Does This Station Need A Lift?
This article on the BBC is entitled Kentish Town Tube Station Reopens After 18 Months.
Nothing is said about why the eighteen months wasn’t used to fit a lift to make the station fully step-free.
There have been two Mayor’s Questions about putting in lifts at Kentish Town station and both answers were similar. This was the first answer.
TfL has carried out a high-level investigation into installing lifts at Kentish Town. It has indicated that the scheme would involve digging new tunnels and installing a new lift shaft in a very constrained worksite adjacent to the main road and busy operational railways. Due to the complexity of this project and therefore high estimated cost, in the region of £40m, Kentish Town is not being considered as part of the £200m five-year programme.
This Google Map shows Kentish Town station.
Note the footbridge over the station leading over the National Rail station to the Underground station marked by the red logo.
In any scheme to make all of Kentish Town station step-free, this bridge would surely be made step-free or replaced by perhaps a tunnel under the railway.
Costs would be very high, even with a very expensive development on top, which was making a contribution.
Unless an architectural genius comes up with a better scheme, I think what has just been installed, will be the best that can be provided.
Camden Council will probably find it better to send disabled taxis.
The Anonymous Widower 
Leaving the cost aside, the talk of the constrained worksite sounds like bleating. Unfortunately we can’t tell whether this is the case or not because the FOI request to read the report was refused on security grounds.
Comment by Brian Armitage | December 25, 2024 |
I think it all depends what lies under the National Rail platforms.
Could a tunnel be bored under the footbridge that links up with bottom of the escalators?
A lift in each National Rail platform would link it to the footbridge, with doors at the new tunnel, the existing National Rail platforms and the footbridge.
It would undoubtedly be difficult and would involve a lot of hand digging, but I can’t see another feasible way.
There is also the problem of access to the lower platform, as the two platforms are one above the other.
Comment by AnonW | December 25, 2024 |
I hadn’t considered the Network Rail platforms at all. It might cost £40M if you included them, even with overhead lifts.
Comment by b | December 25, 2024 |
The key to making it work, would be what is under the National Rail platforms.
I also suspect some good Victorian digging could construct the underground bits.
They managed to construct the pedestrian tunnels at Paddington and Bank and I suspect this tunnel isn’t much more difficult.
Comment by AnonW | December 25, 2024 |
The final curve in the tunnel to the Bakerloo line platforms was extremely tricky.
Anything (within reason) is possible if you have the budget.
Comment by Brian Armitage | December 26, 2024
At the opening of the Cannon Street entrance to Bank Station, I talked to one of the guys, who had dug out some of the tunnels by hand. He was I think Caribbean and said something like “It’s amazing what a few Paddies, Poles and spades can do with a few simple hired machines.” As there was a great smile on his face, as he spoke, it looked like he’d enjoyed it.
But as you say, it’s all about the budget.
Comment by AnonW | December 26, 2024 |