Kilburn Tube station refurbished and accessible

The refurbishment, carried out for London Underground (LU) by Tube Lines, is one of the first concrete examples of the billions now being invested in the capital's transport infrastructure.

To mark the completion of the work, a Meet the Managers' event is being held at Kilburn station on the morning of Thursday, February 10, 2005, where passengers can learn from LU and Tube Lines about the refurbishment.

Kevin Bootle, LU Jubilee line General Manager said:
"Kilburn is one of seven modernised and refurbished stations completed by Tube Lines across London, on time and on budget. These stations are the first concrete delivery of TfL's five-year, £10 billion Investment Programme to improve and expand the capital's transport network."

"The refurbishment of Kilburn station delivers real benefits to passengers, making it cleaner, brighter and even safer than before, but the heritage features have also been retained.

"The station has been freshly painted throughout, now has new CCTV security systems, better lighting, and upgraded PA systems and Help Points. The toilets and nappy changing room have all been refurbished.

"Passengers particularly like the new information indicator boards, which are not only on the platforms, but in the ticket hall as well, so they can see exactly when the next few trains will arrive as soon as they step in the ticket hall."

Kilburn station, then named Kilburn & Brondesbury first opened on November 24, 1879 as part of the Metropolitan and St. John's Wood Railway - a company effectively owned and operated by the Metropolitan Railway.

Following the merger of the "Met" into London Transport in 1933, the station was transferred to the extended Bakerloo line when the Stanmore branch became part of the newly extended line on November 20, 1939. At this time the station was extensively rebuilt. The new south side entrance and the waiting rooms on the platforms were built in the classic London Transport style of the era, which must have looked very modern and progressive in keeping with the ethos of the Underground of the day.

The station was finally renamed Kilburn on September 25, 1950. The Bakerloo service between Baker Street and Stanmore was transferred to the Jubilee line on 1 May 1979, which is why it is currently a Jubilee line station.

Tim O'Toole, LU Managing Director said: "London Underground is now running more trains than ever before and is more reliable than it has been for many years. A lot of hard work has gone into these station improvements, but we know there is a lot more still to do.

"We are investing billions in the Tube and I am determined to ensure that the promised improvements are delivered for passengers."

Terry Morgan, Tube Lines Chief Executive said: "The completion of the first tranche of stations under the investment programme represents a major milestone in our plans to rebuild the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.

"The stations themselves look and feel brighter and the introduction of new technology has delivered substantial improvements in information provision and the safety of customers. We have a further 15 stations planned to go on site in the first six months of this year and over the next five years we are committed to upgrading almost every station across the three lines.

"This work is just another step for Tube Lines as we begin to deliver a massive improvement programme to London Underground. Work on the additional carriage for Jubilee line trains is progressing well for introduction in early 2006 as is our programme to replace the signalling systems on the Jubilee and Northern lines."