South Kensington Station
(Picture: Daniel Lynch)The Piccadilly line will once again stop at South Kensington station from June 1, TfL has announced.
The Tube line had not been stopping at the station, which is close to many of the capital’s museums, since February last year amid complex engineering work to replace the escalators serving the line.
The Circle and District lines, which also call at the station, had been unaffected.
The work, which began on February 27 last year, replaced all five escalators dating from 1973 serving the Piccadilly at South Kensington because they had come to the end of their lifespan.
TfL officials said the new escalators at the station, which saw almost 34 million customer journeys each year before the pandemic, would be more energy efficient and less prone to breaking down.
TfL’s Esther Sharples said she wanted to thank customers for their patience while the 15-month works were ongoing.
“I’m delighted that the Piccadilly line will serve South Kensington again ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which will bring more visitors to the area as they seek to enjoy all that this vibrant area of London has to offer,” she said.
The move will coincide with the half-term holidays, meaning easier access for families to world-famous attractions around the area, such as the Victoria and Albert, Science, and Natural History museums.
The work at South Kensington took 15 months to complete due to the complexity of working in a historic building, with the arcade and station building both listed, said TfL.
Escalators on the London Underground can be in use for up to 20 hours a day, carrying millions of people each year.
Thirty-four of the new escalators of the same type that have been installed at South Kensington are already in operation at London Underground stations, while sixty-four of them have been installed on the newly-launched Elizabeth line.
