Elephant & Castle station
In January 2022 construction started on the station box, a reinforced concrete structure that will house the new Northern line entrance and ticket hall at Elephant and Castle Tube station.
We have secured funding for Stage 1 works from the GLA, Southwark Council and local developers. Stage 2 of the project, the station fit out, will be done once we have the additional funds needed.
We have now awarded the contract for the design and construction of new passengers tunnels, which will link the new station box to the existing platforms and overbridge. Work on excavating around 135 metres of new passenger tunnels will start in 2025 and will finish in 2027.
Why we're doing the work
Creating space at the station for more people and services - and an accessible interchange between the Northern line and local bus services will support the delivery of more than 10,000 new homes and 5,000 new jobs in the Elephant & Castle Opportunity Area.
A new entrance at the heart of Elephant and Castle Town Centre will eventually include new escalators and lifts offering step-free access from street level to platform on the Northern line, and improve station capacity by over 30%.
Further in the future, as part of the proposed Bakerloo line extension, customers would also be able to enter a new ticket hall for both lines.
What we're doing
Work to build the station box of the new TfL station started in January 2022. The station box is a reinforced concrete structure that will form the shell of the new station entrance and ticket hall:
- We plan to fit this out once additional funding is secured
- Once complete, it will provide over 1,700 square metres of new concourse space for passengers
What we've done so far
We used the opportunity of the part-Northern line closure from January to May 2022 to prepare platform areas and the overbridge for main tunnelling works. We have:
- We have completed excavating to the lowest level, 33 metres beneath ground level - where the newly constructed Northern line integrated ticket hall (NLTH) will stand
- Relocated assets stored in platform rooms on both Northern line platforms
- Re-purposed the disused pedestrian subway on the station peninsula and installed ducting to carry new utilities connections for the upgraded station
- Sterilised and demolished platform rooms to prepare for tunnelling breakthroughs
- Surveyed the tunnels at breakthrough locations
- Removed hazardous materials
Timeline
September 2024: We awarded the tunnelling contract, ahead of excavation works of the passenger tunnels starting next year.
March 2024: As part of the station box works, we completed excavating to the lowest level - 33 metres below ground.
January 2023: We carry out some small ground investigation works at Newington Butts to better understand the ground conditions where the new passenger tunnels will be built.
April 2022: We issue a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the remaining third party-funded Stage 1 works, including the passenger tunnels, and announce a supplier engagement day.
March 2022: Piling for the foundations of the station box begins. In total, 408 piles will be sunk by the end of 2022.
January 2022: Work begins on constructing the foundations of the new station box at Elephant & Castle. Early works within the existing Northern line platforms and station entrance, taking advantage of the Bank Northern line closure, also begin.
2021: Permission is granted for the new Elephant & Castle Town Centre development, including the construction of a new station box by the developer, Elephant & Castle Development UK Ltd, at Elephant & Castle Tube station.
2020: We get permission for the final tunnelling works needed for the new station entrance and integrated ticket hall. As part of planning ahead for the Bakerloo line extension, the new station has also been designed to provide access to the future Bakerloo line tunnels.
2017: Plans for redeveloping Elephant & Castle town centre are submitted to the London Borough of Southwark, including the provision for a new station entrance to replace the current Northern line ticket hall.
2012: Elephant & Castle Opportunity Area, adopted by Southwark and the Mayor of London, sets out a framework for development in the area until 2030, including the identification of a strategic need to upgrade Elephant & Castle Tube station.