Transport for London has successfully completed the first passenger test train along the Northern Line extension between Kennington and Battersea Power station on London Underground.
The line is expected to enter commercial services in the autumn.
The Northern line passenger trains entered the new 3.2 km tunnels at Kennington, travelling through the newly constructed step-plate junction that connects the existing Northern line tunnels to the extension.
The trains then continued to Nine Elms Tube station before arriving at the extension’s second new station at Battersea Power station. They then turned around using the new crossover junction to complete the journey back to Kennington.
The first test journeys mark the completion of a number of complex milestones in 2020 which include switching on a permanent electricity supply to the new Tube stations at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, energising the traction power supply to the rails, enabling passenger trains to run along the new tracks and the successfully commissioning the latest edition of signalling software that connects the extension to the existing Northern line at Kennington.
Work to finish the extension is now focused on completing necessary signalling software upgrades and the fit-out of the two new stations which will be the first to be added to the Northern line since the extension to Morden in 1926.
‘Seeing a Northern line train travelling through the extension for the first time is a really significant milestone and demonstrates the commitment of our brilliant team who have been working so hard during such a challenging year. The line extension continues to support jobs, homes and growth in this exciting riverside destination and has created employment through the supply chain across the UK,” Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Director of Major Projects, said.
The project is the first major Tube line extension since the Jubilee line in the late 1990s. The extension will connect Kennington to Battersea Power Station, via Nine Elms, bringing Battersea and surrounding areas to within 15 minutes of the City and West End.
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