A new ticket hall entrance, escalators and connection tunnels have opened to the public today at Bond Street tube station. The upgrades are partly to cope with existing crowds, but also to prepare it for the opening of the Elizabeth line next December.
In total, capacity has been increased by 30%, with a new set of twin escalators from the Jubilee line up to the middle concourse, a new link between the Jubilee and Central lines, and the new ticket hall on the north side of Oxford Street.
In addition four new lifts have been added to make the station-step free, although the corridors still contain a lot of short steps to navigate for those not using the lifts.
Preparatory work to build a step-free interchange to the Elizabeth line has also been completed ahead of services calling at Bond Street station in December 2018, when it is expected that passenger numbers will increase to around 225,000 per day. The Elizabeth line station will also help ease crowding pressure at Oxford Circus Underground station, being located just 150m away.
The new ticket hall doesn’t have ticket machines though – these will be arriving next year.
Some photos
New access from the Jubilee line
double width staircase
Rather a nice feature to leave visible for tunnel geeks
Towards the new escalators
A slight dip down
Two new escalators and steps up to the middle level and Elizabeth line
Top of the new escalator – also a new entrance will open on the right later
Just before the old ticket hall, a diversion to the new ticket hall
Tunnel under Oxford Street
New ticket hall with five gates
Stairs from new ticket hall
Stairs from new ticket hall and temporary signs warning of no ticket machines
The new entrance
Elsewhere, a new direct link between the Jubilee line and the Central line avoiding the escalators.
In case you were curious about the slight dip and short staircase in the passageway on the walk from the Jubilee line platforms to the new escalators, this is to avoid a clash with the Post Office ‘Mail Rail’ tunnel that runs directly above it. This whole project was incredibly complex in tunnelling terms and it is a fine achievement for it to be delivered into public use today.
“Also a new entrance will open on the right later” – 99% sure that’s incorrect. Everything substantial that is to open is open already (except, obviously, Crossrail)
And Crossrail is that new entrance.
The crossrail entrance is on the left of the image (a left turn in the passage branching south from the passages between the escalator interchange concourses). The right hand side is the passage created to get construction machinery to that level. It only leads to the lifts and emergency stairs.
And one day the Central line will have accessible stations. Bond Street is the ONLY fully step-free station on that line so I can get to the platform but not travel anywhere.
At least I can go a bit further on the Jubilee Line. Useful if I miss Green Park or need to go to Oxford St.
TCR Station next along from Bond Street is also fully accessible and gives interchange to Northern Line ( West End branch) while Stratford is fully accessible. In fact Bond Street and Stratford are both served by Central and Jubilee Lines opening up an alternative route between these stations for disabled users if one of these lines is not available . There is also Greenford Station with its accending lift and several stations at eastern end with work installing lifts at Newbury Park Station underway.
I must have been thinking of Elizabeth Line re next along as on Central Line it’s Oxford Circus one that’s crying out for step free access … I suppose you could demolish old BHS Store and use site for a new station entrance with escalators and lifts to all platforms at Oxford Circus followed by over site development !
1) The BHS store is in the wrong place, the Central Line platforms run underneath Oxford Street east of Oxford Circus
2) The old BHS store is just one in a site that runs from the corner of Holles Street to John Princes Street (242-272 Oxford Street) and goes almost all the way back to Margaret Street.
3) 252-258 Oxford Street has new occupant, Polish fashion chain Reserved opened their first UK store in September
4) I’m sure Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan would want a lot of money from TfL if they wanted to demolish his property
I think the tunnels could do with a few more convex mirrors on the corners; but it’s nice to have them finally open, not least so I can get to the north side of Oxford St without being threatened by cyclists jumping the red lights on the pedestrian crossings.
Given how the Post Office Railway closed a number of years ago why needless stairs were not designed out of the station design or replaced by a short ramp if required.
Unlike the opening of the expanded TCR station Bond Street does have the same ” wow factor ” the large new concourse above the Northern Line at TCR had with as photos show many new links still built to the small tube size . Of course we still wait The Elizabeth Line and associated links .
It’s disappointing that the new escalators to the Jubilee Line consists of just two escalators with centre fixed stairs instead of a bank of three escalators given the importance of Bond Street Station and further use once The Elizabeth Line opens next year . I suppose putting this right will end up costing more than had three escalators been installed from the beginning.
The addition of Bond Street Station now means step free access is now available all all Jubilee Line stations from Stratford to Bond Street making this Line one of the most accessible so hopefully the funds recently announced by Mayor Khan to improve underground access will include some of the stations at the northern end of the line with West Hampstead being a prime candidate given it Thameslink Station is already accessible and it’s Overground Station will soon be .