Colindale and Kentish Town tube stations to reopen in time for Christmas
Two tube stations on the Northern line that are currently closed for upgrade works are to reopen in time for Christmas.
Kentish Town Station
Kentish Town tube station closed in June 2023 for major escalator replacement works, and had been due to reopen this summer, but the works took longer than planned, so the station is now expected to reopen on Monday 23rd December – although that’s still subject to any last minute snagging issues.
(it’s on the TfL travel planner as open on 24th December)

Although the repair schedule to replace the escalators had projected a one-year job, once they started stripping out the equipment, the structural condition of the station was worse than expected. Cutting out and replacing more equipment added to the problems, and replacement concrete needed longer to cure, all adding to the delays.
During the closure, TfL also removed the redundant ticket office and realigned the ticket barriers to provide more space for customers and additional ticket gates. The station will also have been repainted and deep-cleaned, with new floor and wall tiling and improved signage installed.
The station is also an interchange with the Thameslink service, and it’s with some irony that just as the tube station reopens, the Thameslink station will close for several days of engineering works on the national rail tracks.
TfL giveth and Network Rail taketh away.
Colindale Station
Colindale station closed in June this year for a complete rebuild. That will take a lot longer to complete, but in the interim while working on the platforms and stairs, TfL has been building a temporary entrance, and that will open on or around 20th December.
(it’s on the TfL travel planner as open on 21st December)
During the six-month station closure, steelwork has been installed to create the new ticket hall, and over the next couple of years, the rest of the station will be rebuilt with the new ticket hall and lifts to provide step-free access.

The TfL Journey Planner is showing Colindale as open on 20th December – my sample search was for Colindale to Golders Green at 06:00.
Thameslink at Kentish Town has no lifts. Installation is about as straightforward as it’s possible to be. Has to be on the list, doesn’t it?
Given it would need a new over bridge at a different location than the current one I’m really not sure you’d call it easy….
There is step free interchange between the Northern line and Thameslink at St Pancras so its very much not a priority when it comes to funds
As for just providing step free access to Thameslink, that needs 3 lift shafts installed (two of which have to be placed in the middle of a live railway) which doesn’t come cheap plus being so close to the centre of London and with frequent bus services available there are much more worthy candidates for accessibility cash.
Oddly tfl’s specific website for colindale has no opening date