Kentish Town station will remain shut until the end of 2024, Transport for London has announced.
The busy station on the Northern line closed in June 2023 to allow its two escalators to be replaced.
At the time, it was expected to reopen this summer – but that was pushed back until September.
Now TfL, in an update to passengers, says it is “expecting to reopen… the station by the end of the year”.
TfL said: “While carrying out the planned improvements, we found that we need to do further complex and time-consuming repairs. We now expect to be able to re-open the station at the end of 2024.”
This means passengers will have to continue to use Thameslink services from the station – which can be accessed via a separate entrance – or divert to Camden Town or Tufnell Park stations if remaining on the Northern line.
Kentish Town station now not due to reopen until the “end of the year”, @TfL announces.
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) July 25, 2024
Station closed in June 2023 for the replacement of its two escalators and was originally meant to reopen this summer… pic.twitter.com/AlfzYmba12
Hina Bokhari, the Lib-Dem leader on the London Assembly, who recently demanded answers from Mayor Sadiq Khan about the delay, said: "This will be yet more disheartening news for local residents who have already been without their local Tube station for over a year.
"While ensuring working escalators are in place and public safety is a priority it is disappointing that the project completion has been delayed. TfL must now ensure there are no further delays to the station reopening."
Trains on the Northern line’s High Barnet branch will continue to run through the station without stopping.
It is the latest issue for Northern line passengers. Colindale station is also closed until December to allow rebuilding work to take place, but passengers have complained about a lack of alternative transport.
Mr Khan agreed last week that his deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance should attend a crisis meeting with campaigners.
Pictures taken by TfL this month at Kentish Town show huge holes in the floor of the surface-level ticket hall.
Shops and businesses in the area have blamed the closure for a dramatic drop in customers.
The two escalators, which date from the 1980s, were said to be the least reliable on the entire London Underground. Because they were obsolete, TfL struggled to find replacement parts when they broke down.
During the work, contractors are also removing the redundant ticket office, realigning the ticket barriers to provide more space for customers, and installing more ticket gates, better signage and new tiling.
TfL has promised the upgrade will “future proof” the station and end the short-notice closures that pre-dated the start of the project.
The new escalators should last for 40 years.
TfL said it “explored all possible options” to keep the station open during the works, but decided this would not be possible for “safety and space reasons”.
TfL now says it is exploring whether the station can be reopened while remaining works “continue safely behind hoardings”.
The TfL board was told on Wednesday: “The old escalators, which are the most unreliable on the Underground network, were installed in 1997 and are bespoke to the station, making it difficult to source parts for maintenance and repairs.
“The new escalators are the same model as those used on the Elizabeth line and throughout the Tube network and are expected to last for around 40 years. They have more efficient motors and drivers, meaning they use less electricity. When not in use, they will run slower to save energy.
“We have used the temporary closure to carry out a range of other station improvements at the same time, including removing the redundant ticket office and realigning the ticket barriers to provide more space for customers and additional ticket gates.
“The station is also being painted and deep cleaned, with new floor and wall tiling and improved signage installed.”
Mr Khan, in his reply to Ms Bokhari, said: “As part of the closure to replace the escalators at Kentish Town, Transport for London took the opportunity to make improvements to the ticket hall.
“By removing the redundant ticket office, space will be created to install additional ticket gates. This will improve passenger flow between the National Rail and London Underground stations and improve the ambience at the station.
“Following demolition of the ticket office, assets were identified as needing repairs in advance of safely re-opening to customers. The requirement for this work on previously concealed parts of the station only became evident following the demolition work.”
