Over five million journeys made on the Northern Line Extension in its first year

• Opening of extension has led to an average 17-minute reduction in journey times between the area and the City and West End, representing a decrease of almost 50 per cent 
• Number of passenger journeys on the extension predicted to continue growing and could reach up to 10 million trips per year in 2024/25 
• The Northern Line Extension has clocked more than five million passenger journeys since it opened a year ago, according to Transport for London's (TfL's) latest data. 

The doors to the extension's two new Tube stations, at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station, opened on 20 September 2021. Since then, the two new step-free Zone 1 stations have given a huge boost to the area's connectivity, reducing journey times and helping to support the ongoing delivery of around 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes. 

Battersea Power Station is the busier of the two new stations with approximately 80,000 trips per week and almost 15,000 trips routinely recorded on the busiest day of the week (Wednesday). Nine Elms station attracts more than 40,000 trips each week and almost 8,000 trips on the busiest day. In June, TfL doubled the frequency of trains on the extension, from six to 12 trains per hour during peak times, and from five to 10 trains per hour at off-peak times.  

The latest modelling indicates that annual passenger journeys on the extension are predicted to continue growing and could reach up to 10 million trips per year in 2024/25. This is due to factors including London's continued recovery from the pandemic, the ongoing growth and regeneration in the Battersea and Nine Elms areas, and the increased number of trains per hour on the extension, which is making it more popular with customers with reduced wait times.  

Key destinations for trips made from the new stations at Battersea and Nine Elms include Bank, London Bridge, Leicester Square and Waterloo. Analysis of journey times before and after the opening of the extension found it has led to an average 17-minute reduction in passenger journey times between the area and the City and West End, representing a decrease of almost 50 per cent.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "I'm delighted that one year on from opening, the Northern Line Extension has seen more than five million journeys made. As London continues to recover from the pandemic, it's vital that we encourage people back on to our public transport in order to make a cleaner, greener and better London for everyone. The two new stations on the Northern Line are at the heart of these efforts - the Northern Line Extension has improved the links between these south London neighbourhoods and the rest of the capital, cut journey times, and played an important role in drawing people back onto the network." 

Andy Lord, TfL's Chief Operating Officer, said: "We opened our new Northern line stations with great pride and excitement a year ago and it has been fantastic to see how quickly they have become part of the fabric of the city as people have returned in increasing numbers to the Tube network following the pandemic. Since June, we've doubled the number of trains serving the extension to give our customers a more frequent service to align with growing demand. Transport plays a critical role in opening up jobs, housing and leisure across the city, with these two new Tube stations clearly demonstrating how faster transport links help neighbourhoods develop and thrive." 

The new Tube station at Battersea sits next to the Grade II* listed Power Station, which will open its doors to the public for the first time in history on Friday 14 October as a new retail and leisure destination. It will include more than 100 shops, bars and restaurants, events venues, a unique chimney lift experience and office space - all of which will be easy to get to by Tube. Electric Boulevard, a new pedestrianised high street, will also open on the same day.  

Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: "The opening of the Northern Line Extension was a major milestone in the regeneration of Battersea Power Station and we're fast approaching another monumental moment for the project with the public opening of the Grade II* listed Power Station on Friday 14 October, almost 40 years after the building's lights were switched off. The new Underground station has transformed the connectivity of Battersea Power Station and the wider area, with footfall to this new riverside neighbourhood we're creating increasing significantly since last September. It will also play a key role in bringing visitors from across London and further afield to our family-friendly opening celebrations in just three weeks' time and we look forward to seeing everyone there." 

A £1bn package of infrastructure investment, including making streets in the area safer and more enjoyable for people walking, cycling and using public transport continues apace. It includes the redesign of a 2.5km stretch of Nine Elms Lane and Battersea Park Road to make it more attractive, accessible and people friendly. 

TfL anticipates that the benefits of the Northern Line Extension will only be fully realised over the coming decades, with plans to carry out further analysis on wider benefits and long-term impacts.

Notes to editors

• The number of passenger journeys on the Northern Line Extension totalled 5,041,743 at the week ending 17 September 2022 
• Prior to the Northern Line Extension, the last major Tube extension was the Jubilee Line Extension, which opened in 1999 
• From today (23 September), Nine Elms Tube station is displaying a temporary artwork by artist and local Nine Elms resident Ian Wornast. The artwork - a highly detailed pen drawing showing a cross-section of the Underground station presented as a mosaic of colours and pattern - is on display with support from Art on the Underground in partnership with Action Space, an arts charity supporting artists with learning difficulties. Ian's poster can be found in the ticket hall area and on the platform at Nine Elms station and a limited-edition foldout artwork is also available at the station. The poster artwork will be on display for a month and can also be seen around the Nine Elms and Battersea area. For more information, please visit https://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/ian-wornast-nine-elms/ 
• A book and artist-designed calendar celebrating Art on the Underground's major permanent artwork by London-based Brazilian artist Alexandre da Cunha - titled 'Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset' - are being published next month. The artwork stretches to a total of over 150m in length inside the ticket hall of the new Tube station at Battersea. For more information and to pre-order copies, please visit: https://art.tfl.gov.uk/shop/alexandredacunhasunsetsunrisesunset/ 
• The new Tube station at Battersea has been shortlisted for an Architects' Journal Architecture Award. Designed alongside Nine Elms Tube station by international architecture practice Grimshaw, the new station has been recognised as one of five top Infrastructure and Transport projects in the UK this year, with winners due to be announced in November 
• The Northern Line Extension has unlocked the potential for the delivery of new homes, which will help to tackle the capital's housing crisis. Connected Living London (CLL) - the formal partnership between TfL and Grainger plc - is bringing forward more than 600 new, quality rental homes, including 40 per cent affordable housing, across two sites linked to the Northern Line Extension. The homes will be a mixture of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom properties, providing options for all types of households 
• At Nine Elms, the station has been designed so that 479 new rental homes and commercial space can delivered above and around it. At Montford Place in Kennington, a new mixed-use development of 139 new rental homes and more than 2,700 sqm of light industrial workspace has been given the go-ahead and will occupy a Northern Line Extension worksite. Both of these schemes by CLL have been shaped to incorporate sustainability into their design, with air source heat pump energy systems as well as solar panels at Montford Place. Both schemes also include biodiverse roofs and bird boxes to help to provide shelter and roosting sites for birds. Between them, the schemes also offer a range of amenities for the local community, with Montford Place providing a central mews street that could be used to host pop-up markets and street vendors and Nine Elms incorporating a new public square 
• Battersea Power Station is one of central London's largest, most visionary and eagerly anticipated new riverside neighbourhoods. The £9bn regeneration project is delivering a vibrant, mixed-use destination offering a community of homes, shops, restaurants, offices, culture and leisure venues, as well as 19 acres of public space, all serviced by an extension to the London Underground Northern line. For more information about Battersea Power Station, please visit www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk and follow @BatterseaPwrStn to keep up with the latest news and events