Northern Line Bank Platform Closure
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2024
- Due to major works at Bank, part of the Northern Line is closing for three months between Kennington and Moorgate, so I went down for one last time to look at the southbound platform at Bank which is about to disappear!
The last Southbound train departed on (Friday night) Saturday 15th January 2022, at 00:38.
TfL project page on the Bank Capacity Upgrade works : tfl.gov.uk/tra...
With thanks to Rob Healy for the carriage diagram photo.
Only Geoff can get sentimental over a platform edge, what a legend this man is.
What a ledge!
Excuse me, but I did this exact same trip on Wednesday and also felt sentimental :D You underestimate how nerdy we trainspotters are!
@@20so I wasn’t knocking him, or I wouldn’t have called him a legend. I’m a train nerd up to a point.
only geoff? [sniffles] i'll miss you old southbound northern Bank platform 😭😭😭
@@zdxns touché.
the acting where Geoff "found" the maps is SUPERB 😆👏
I agree! Hilarious
Thanks TH-cam, very cool
why on earth is TH-cam here?
I'm so glad YT shouted this bit out 😂😂
youtube?
Also, it’s a rarity to see a Tooting Broadway terminator so it was nice to get that too!! (and use in the Thumbnail!)
I seem to be the only who has found this comment so far… :D. That makes me happy :p
I used to work at both Bank & Monument stations back in the early 90s & can remember dispatching trains from both of those platforms. I can also remember working the old manual operating lifts that used to be there.
Man the sheer disappointment of approaching a tube map rack and not finding any of the new tube maps is one I've experienced many times😂
P.S. 3:44 if anyone wants to watch Geoff descend the requisite 15 storeys...
I got three,,, !!
Bank station Northern Line platforms are long overdue for expansion as I have used these several times over the past few years and they are always very crowded so will look forward to seeing the new widened platforms when the work is complete.
3:31 - Does the Heathrow loop on the Piccadilly line not count? There have been one direction arrows there since Heathrow T4 station opened (except for that period in the mid-00s when it was closed).
Ye
Was thinking the exact same.
I guess the difference is that the T4 loop is unidirectional - it's not possible for trains to go round it the other way. Quite right, though.
I think the main difference is that the Heathrow T4 layout is the "normal" arrangement (when the station/terminal is open, of course!), whereas the Northern Line one-way operation during the rebuild of London Bridge in the 90's was a special temporary set-up for the duration of the works. Such an arrangement is unlikely to occur again, for two reasons, firstly it was only the existence of the Charing Cross Branch that enabled them to "balance" the overall service, by routing all the through southbound trains to Kennington and beyond that way, and secondly, at London Bridge, where the work was taking place, they were able to "seal off" the southbound side, despite its close proximity to the northbound, and complete the work. The passageways leading directly from the escalators onto the northbound platform was probably a factor in the decision to run one way northbound as well. The layout at Bank no doubt prevents this.
Well done Geoff. You never stop to put very high quality videos!
@@geofftech2 how do you have a check mark?
@@TheMasterPlayzOfficial When you have 100,000 Subscribers, you can apply for verification, which gives you a tick like many other social media sites
Agree. Best explanation of what's happening I've heard.
@@Redblock Oh ok
the quantity is as high as a 15 storey building
Not one I’ll miss. They have neglected that Station for so long. Looking forward to the new entrance, though I think it should have been called “Monument”
As a regular user of the London Underground myself I enjoy your channel. Always Great, informative and intresting
Thank you
Keep up the good work
No one:
Geoff at any given moment: “Fortunately, I’ve carried my own supply of Tube Maps with me.”
perfect video, showing everything interesting about bank refurbishment. i originally thought more shots of London Bridge as a comparison would have been better, but time constraints and focus on Bank station are good reasons to edit it like that. love your work.
Thanks for the memories... Spent 10 years traipsing around Bank Station everyday on way to work.. Knew every area of it... 3 years ago was worried about the changes and the weeks of closures and how I'd get to work efficiently...
20months ago (ish) covid hit and I've only been back once since then thanks to home working!
Glad to see the improvements are still happening.. Will be significantly different by the time I return..
Didn't they have the one way arrows on the map for the Heathrow loop?
The London transport system is so interesting! And love keeping up with all the developments!
I love trains and this is one of my favourite channels
As someone from Yorkshire the feeling of travelling to London on the East Coast mainline, then a couple of hours later being somewhere completely random in London on a tube never gets old, it feels like a completely different world! The other week I even expanded my horizons with a trip on the DLR too as I had to visit a shopping centre in Beckton (random I know, I was picking up a new XBOX!), my favourite announcement on that was 'the next stop is Cyprus'...not quite the Cyprus I'm used to!
I know the closing bit where you boarded for the last time and the B-roll showed the train pulling away would have been a previously-flimed shot of an earlier train, but there's still that subconscious anxiety that says, "Geoff! You have to go back for your camera or it'll get buried!" lol
I was on a ship which had a much more youthful David Attenborough on it, back in the early eighties.
They had a shot of Attenborough looking at Bird Island from the rail of the ship. And the shot of the ship leaving as seen from the island.
Wait! Bird Island has no people... who took that shot.
Well the camera crew of course. One of the ship's boats was then sent back to get them. They didn't film that bit...
((RRS Bransfield, S. Atlantic, 1980))
LU is very interesting. Many limitations as per its history but still have plenty of improvements and new ideas ongoing.
You know it's a good day when Geoff posts a new video
"If all goes to plan..."
Anyone else chuckle when someone says that?
While the Kennington to Moorgate is closed.... can we call it the Bumble Bee Line! since it's in Yellow and Black :p Guessing the new platform at Bank station will be brilliant and you can bank on that! Great Video Geoff.
ha ha, yes! it also looks like "warning!" tape that you get at the edge of doorframes, etc ...
Yep, we can call it the bumblebee line but it won't be buzzing !!
Geoff, would love a big detailed video with map diagrams/animations of what bank/monument station looks like when you peel the road and buildings off with overlays on where the exits are on surface level. Pre covid this station was my daily commute and I used it to get to our various offices and have no idea what it really looks like when I’m wandering the halls!
Tfl must be thinking "What's Geoff up to now?"
Almost 10 years of planning have been leading up to this closure. Love the coverage! Geoff, we hope you do a return visit when the works have been completed?
As someone who changes at Bank 10+ times per week, I'm stoked to see the improvement. Now TFL, how about finishing the renovation of the DLR concourse?? It's pretty shocking down there.
The DLR concourse works are part of the same improvements, so when it's all done the DLR will have much better connectivity with the rest of the complex.
Ugh, Im not a fan of Bank. I tried the Walbrook entrance and thought I was never going to get down to the platform. I suspect it will be an equally long walk from the Cannon Street concourse.
the Battersea droop and the Kennington kink, i can't--- 😂😂
I travelled home after work so many thousands of times, from that old southbound platform. Glad the Northern Line at Bank is getting some work done on it.
In the morning I was looking for any new video for the Bank project and in the evening we got one!
This is important documentary footage before it all changes. Excellent work Geoff.
I did my final visit a couple of weeks ago. Sad to see an "old friend" go but on to a better and safer future.
Geoff - a housing developer is proposing a new development Twyford Garden, close to Twyford (GWR/Elizabeth Line Station) and is suggesting they will get a new station on Crossrail. I think it would be a great idea, but it looks too close to Twyford for the length of the purple trains.
Always happy to see a new video on this channel. Especially when History is being made in the London Underground.
wot..no Manument for Bonk gags? ..Thanks Geoff, another good video....
Thank you for making this video about northern line staitions that are closed.
The London Tube is strangely fascinating. Great video.
You're probably correct about the distance between entrances for different stations being:
New Bank station entrance on Canon St / Monument,
but close behind is the proximity of:
Bank entrance on Walbrook / Canon St (Circle line)
That's a relatively recent addition too, as part of the upgrade works at Bank.
Reminds me of the project to rebuilt the 42nd Street shuttle, for years it was 3 tracks with a funky set up of narrow non-step free platforms (mind the gap) at Times Square. it’s a remnant of the original 1904 Subway from City Hall up to 125th Street and Broadway (it turned right at Grand Central, then turned left at Times Square. As such, there were 4 tracks until a fire at the Grand Central end destroyed one of the “express” tracks, which they just filled in with a new platform area).
They closed the entire line, told people to use the 7 train (slightly longer trip as it has an intermediate stop at 5th Avenue), and rebuilt it so it’s 2 tracks with a massive platform in between them at both ends. They also eliminated the need for a temporary pedestrian bridge over the northernmost track, since that’s the only track that connects into the rest of the subway system (if a train broken down it is the only way to move it out of the shuttle). Took a bit longer due to COVID delays, but then again people weren’t using the subway as much, so it wasn’t as big of a deal.
Track 2 (former southbound express track) was removed in 1918 to make room for the track 3 platforms at both ends of the shuttle. This did not change after the 1964 Grand Central fire which destroyed a train parked on track 3 and caused the station to be rebuilt along with the structure that supports the street above. Track 1 also has a connection to the Lexington Avenue southbound local track just north of the 33rd Street station to allow train sets to be swapped out. There is no connection between the two tracks of the shuttle at all.
I SEE MYSELF. IM IN A Geoff Marshall Video. Its a dream come true.
Timestamp?
2:00 that guy who just looked is myself.
At peak time this has got to be the worst and most cramped and claustrophobic tube connection in London. AND the queues on the stairs... I wont miss that !! 😄
There are still two island platforms on the Northern Line. Those things are death traps.
Earlier this week, I was standing in front of those double doors on the other side of the track wondering who the hell would ever use them! 😂
All now explained 👍🏼
Thanks for explaining what had happened to the tube station there.
I love how these videos over the past few years have shown the slow progression of Geoff turning into an anorak. Which he swore he wasn’t haha. I love it!! This video it’s the end result! Excited over a platform haha!
I used that very platform a few days ago without knowing the significance of it, seems I caught it just in time!
Watching your previous video on the project was not only very informative - it was also highly entertaining.
Love watching your videos
For someone leaving at Canada water and working at Barbican, I wish they had waited the Elizabeth line opening before this complete closure. Yes, I am really selfish but relying only on the Hammersmith and City line to be on time is a bit risky hahaha
Was up at London Bridge Jubilee Line today where it warned of additional passengers during the closure of the Northern Line. Wondered why they were closing it and all questions answered in this excellent informative video.
I know it's odd, but the lifts at Bank are the first thing I think of whenever I think about the tube. The getting off the platform, fighting through the crowd to the lift corridor, standing back to view the little electronic board with the lift arrows going up and down. Pouncing to the correct lift door as soon as you realise which one is coming first. Then, the tourist test, knowing to stand close the entrance door, not the one at the far end. I know the London Underground is all about trains, but for me, it's the Bank lifts!
absolutely superb. He gets to see the end of the parts can't even begin. I bet he has those weird red/brown/blue overhead lights you would find at waterloo... in his bedroom.
Very interesting stuff - I wonder if any of this will help me find my way around Bank / monument though!
That's what I was thinking, too. Will it make Manument/Bonk any easier to navigate? 🤔
Bigger, safer platforms and a wide concourse are a big plus, too, in any case
Hi brilliant video Geoff, I find all of your videos extremely interesting! 😊
Good riddance - busy stations and narrow platforms give me terrible anxiety. I cannot wait for the introduction of the new tube trains and the installation of Platform Edge Doors.
Interesting stuff Geoff, as always. I wonder if anyone will use the new bus service? I know it's a "requirement" but these kind of bus services tend to run empty. Might be worth a quick video?
Thanks for the video, Geoff. That is going to be a big improvement. As a long time user of the Bank/Monument interchange the volume improvement cannot happen soon enough.
Oh man I got off on that exact platform for 3 years straight after going to lectures. R.I.P I loved the short walk to the escalators I could read for about 30 seconds there
I actually had the privilege to work on this project as a T002/3 Handback Engineer, for the installation of all the framework on the platform wall and above. I finished up there in Nov 2020 and not much has progressed in terms of the frameworks.
As for the doorway you were looking at, already leads to the new southbound platform, The new multiple cross passages are where the new escalators, lifts and travelators are to be installed. One of which giving a direct link to Canon St station.
When I left there, they just about to start the laying of the new southbound track. So hopefully that should be installed by now.
lovely Stefan, thanks - great info!
Excellent video as always Geoff. I might go to Bank myself tomorrow and say farewell to it too. Can't wait to see the video of the Brand New Southbound platform at Bank in May! Keep up the amazing work you do 😊👍
thank you Tim ... hope you enjoy it!
This section has been closed twice before in fairly recent years. It was closed once for tunnel restoration work, then again just before 1995 tube stock was introduced as they found the new stock had clearance issues in certain parts of the section.
This second closure was not much talked about by LU at the time, the exact reason was never explained, probably to avoid press headlines such as "New tube trains found to be too big for tunnels". Its not clear whether the offending section was the section which had previously undergone work but likely was.
The issue with clearance likely arose because 1995 TS was the first tube stock to have air suspension and sat higher, this is clearly visible on the platform edge when boarding. 1996 stock has the older type of rubber suspension.
Does this turn the Bank branch into the blank branch?
I'm so conflicted, on the one hand I work in Bank and if we're asked to return to the office during the works it'll be such an inconvenience, but on the other hand, something MUST be done about Bank Station, it is a menace to society, any and all improvements are welcome!
Bank is an absolutely horrendous station.
@@nativenewlondoner good thing some serious bank is being spent on it.
I do feel bad for you. The work though has to be done. It's to dangerous at the moment.
It will still be crowded though. That being said, I like the walbrook entrance and never found it that crowded. What they need to do is during peak evening run two empty services starting at Bank. Just the northern line. Central and circle don't seem to have this problem. Then tackle the Clapham island stations. Those are dangerous
someone called dark stole your comment
For the bus route fans 7xx numbers indicate either special ,or express , services. The 133 is probably the closest route to the closed northern line section, so that gives the 733 derived number
The 7xx series used to be for Green Line coaches, back in the day!
Interesting usage of the 7xx prefix… Here in Lisbon there was a recent-ish revamp (by my age, because it’s been around 10 years now) of the bus route numbering scheme, and ALL routes became 7xx. ALL of them, no exceptions. 😂 Because Lisbon also has seven hills, yadda yadda. :P
Actually, that’s not 100% accurate; Carris, the local public bus and tram company, did leave the nightly 2xx services’ numbering scheme untouched, and would never ever consider messing with the trams either (those had the “E” suffix - for “eléctrico” - for decades now, and still kept it even after the revamp, even though it’s now completely redundant as there are no longer buses with similar numbers, because they are basically a very popular attraction and brand with tourists - namely the 28E -, plastered all over guides and souvenirs and whatnot).
I am, however, very curious to see what the upcoming Carris Metropolitana’s numbering scheme will look like, and how it might affect the original, urban “7xx” services. You see, we finally got in with the program and got around to emulate TfL’s buses and their successful metro-wide, privately-owned and operated but livery-, ticketing- and numbering-consistent system; the urban “branch”, so to speak, will still be called just “Carris” and be owned and operated by the city council, but all the other private/PPP suburban operators will be “dissolved” (or at least their public-facing branding and networks will) and reconverted into a homogeneous and much cheaper network for passengers. Only their logos, now in tiny, monochrome versions will survive at the front entrances of their - mostly renovated - fleets, much like in London. Except they (along with trams and funiculars alike, that’s where they originally took it from) are all canary-yellow. ;)
@@Mainyehc Most recent temp route I think was the 718 at Morden, One Bus running a service along a road the 118 could not serve due to a road overbridge failure, the 718 actually provided an additional useful direct link for the residents of that road which is now not possible without a change of bus - or a walk from the main road.
@@grahamwhitworth9454 With, strangley the 726 now being the X26 in TfL franchised operation (cut back to Croydon Though). I think a few of the commuter coaches are numbered at stops in the 700 series When was the last numbered TfL tube or rail replacement bus service ?
I remember when the London Bridge works were carried out, extra buses on the 133 were run and the route temporarily extended up to King's Cross at weekends (as there was no Camden Town to Moorgate service at weekends either during the closure then). I remember the Green Line Network well, with 700 series numbers being used virtually throughout, the only exceptions being the 290/291 routes in City of Oxford's numbering system, as the former was a joint operation with them. The old "733" was used for Hitchin to Watford (later extended to Reading), and the 718 was Windsor to Harlow, later cut back to just Windsor - London.
Excellent work by the anonymous camera person. Very professional
Awesome video as always thank you. I am from South Africa and want to visit in 2024. We dont have train stations like yours. So i was wondering if you could maybe do a few videos showing us foreigners where things are in soecific stations like kings cross or st pancrass?
The old "Secrets of the London Underground" videos (named eg "Secrets of the Northern Line" and suchlike) Geoff made for the Londonist TH-cam channel years back are still pretty good, if it's fun historical curiosities you're after. If it's more basic information about station layout, well, the signage in stations is generally reasonably good though there are a few "famous" shortcuts which are obviously not very well signed (generally the reason being that if everyone went that way they'd be too congested, as newer routes with more capacity but which take longer were built). Besides that you can find 3D diagrams and textual descriptions online if you look hard enough.
I seem to remember that the Prodigy's video to their single Firestarter featured the late Keith Flint dancing in the northern line tunnels which were closed for engineering works in 1996.
I am annoyed that I didn’t realise this was happening as I’d have like to bid ‘adieu’ myself to the old platform having used it so many times in the past, not least when my then girlfriend and I lived in Tooting and would use it to get home if we’d been back to Southend. Always threw me a bit when I was not thinking as I occasionally would forget about the wrong-side running and on one occasion ended up heading for Moorgate due in no small part to the bevvies I had consumed en route 🙄
It is a logical step and will undoubtedly improve the functionality of the station. Seeing that on the map reminded me of the years when the East London line closed and the many replacement busses that became part of the scenery 😅
Great stuff as ever Geoff and a nice nudge for me to take a quick wander down Memory Lane 👍🥂🎩🍀
The disappointment of an empty map rack is palpable. Very glad you, um, totally didn't experience this ;)
Nice vid. My 1st ever journeys was on the northern line as I lived not far from oval station in the 70s. Ohh how excited I was going on the underground then.
I worked down those exact tunnels repairing tracks for years...bank station was my patch 😁
Dear Jeff , I really enjoy your films but this film has made me realise I'm catastrophic too!
Ayy I was filming there myself only yesterday! Good to give the platform a proper send off!
5:05 Friday Night, Saturday Morning is also one of my favorite songs by the Specials.
Great video. The platform improvement work at Bank is long overdue
I just moved to London in September for university and of course I live right in the middle of the closure, a couple minutes walk from Borough station! Everytime I need to get somewhere my usual tube route is getting Northern to Bank and changing to either Central or District/Circle to get to my destination. Looks like I'll be making a lot more frequent bus journeys for the next few months! Great video as usual Geoff :)
Enjoyed this very detailed comment.
SAME HERE 😭😩
The upgrade to Bank looks like it will make the station a whole lot more pleasant for commuters. However, it does seem like an opportunity was missed to reconfigure things to allow cross platform interchange between the Northern Line and the DLR.
DLR is below the Northern so a lot more engineering and new tunnels would have been needed. Great idea but I suspect unaffordable. Now about extending the DLR to Euston....
@@ADAMEDWARDS17 DLR is below Northern Line, but not by much. One of the Northern Line tunnels is being re-routed anyway. I can't help wondering how much extra effort it would be to move one of the DLR tunnels upstairs. In theory it could mostly be done by rerouting two tunnels instead of one, though I'd guess the diversions would need to be longer to keep within allowed climbing grades.
Isn't there already an easy entrance I get off bank (the one coming from morden) then just go down the stairs to dlr
Once the new entrance opens, you should do a race the tube and see if it’s quicker to change bank-monument underground or overground
TfL should sell the paving slabs from the old platform; lots of Geoff's viewers would like a piece of history!!
He actually filmed this in November but it took him 7 weeks to get out of Bank station.
*I'll admit this is a niche comment unless you've actually been there with the last year or so.
Welcome the return of the "15 storey building" gag! I think you missed the opportunity to suggest TfL turn the old Southbound platform into an allotment. 🤷♂ 😂
A very good video Geoff, an archive video for the future, well done 👏
I miss working at Bank station. I’ve seen many last trains out on the Northern line on those platforms.
More evidence that I walk around in a trance
I've lived on the Northern line at Archway for 37 years and I have no concept of this platform even though I must have used it literally hundreds of times
the explanation of the new layout has me totally confused!
Very excited about the changes though xx
I noticed the references to the flying bag and rolling coffee up. ;-)
I just realised I passed through Bank Southbound on its last day as I was getting a train at London Bridge! Pretty cool!
I walked the High Line at ground level back in 2004. The neighbourhood was a little sketchy back then.
The former New York Central branch line to St John’s Park Terminal cost $800,000 to build. It officially opened on 28 June 1934, but the first train ran to the RC Williams & Co warehouse in 1933. The last train ran in 1980 and consisted of three boxcars filled with frozen turkeys.
I know you like stats so here are some prior to refurbishment:
Surface area = 296,000 sq.ft / 6.7 acres
Length = 1.45 miles excluding the post office spur
Columns = approximately 475 in total
Buildings travelled through = 2
Buildings travelled over = 13
Building sidings = 9
City blocks crossed = 22
Total street crossings = 25
Maximum width = 88 feet
Minimum width = 30 feet
Rail easement = 20 feet above track
Maximum Height = 29 feet above grade
Materials = steel frame with reinforced concrete deck
Source: Reclaiming the High Line (Design Trust for Public Space, 2002)
Geoff, make a video of the old platform being filled in would be great.
Great video! Very conclusive!
Before the construction there is a nice curve to the right south of the station
After the construction there now is a a tight chicane out of the station
(looks like the southbound crosses the northbound north of the station - is the southbound on the other side at Moorgate)
Good video can see a trilogy despite 9.52 last northern line train to old bank platform followed by londons newest bus route
I live across the road from Monument Station which is the southern entrance to this platform yet I'd no idea it was closing for this reason. I thought it was regular track work. Had I known, I'd have recorded some footage for posterity. You can bet I'll be heading down there though in mid May 😃
Being a regular user of the northern line at London Bridge I would have loved to see what the platforms looked like before they were filled in back in the early 90s/ 80s! Does anyone have any pictures or footage?
There is a small amount of footage of pre-1996 London Bridge platforms in "Underground Review Volume 3", a videotape originally produced by Online Video; you may well be able to find it shared on here...
I need to try and get to London on the day cross rail opens. They started building work while I was still in school. I’m now 14 years out of school 😱
Great video Geoff and i went through Bank earlier today and that was the last time before the closure and can’t wait to see the new Southbound platform in a few months time and keep bringing us amazing video! 👍🏻😊
Geoff, you mention how close the entrances between monument and bank will be, possibly being the closest on the underground.
How does it compare to the entrances of Hammersmith (H&C) vs Hammersmith (District)?
Hammersmith D&P and H&C are 56m apart, so probably a tiny bit farther than this one
Geoff making the mundane... marvelous! And yet.....Grecian 2000?
So sad to see it go. Keep up the good work Geoff!
With the new Bank entrance being so close to Monument, do you think TfL will ever admit they are all part of the same complex (you don't pass through a gate line to get from one to another after all) and change Monument's name to Bank as well?
Why? It's a District Line Station and when you get out there, you are at the 1666 Monument, not the Bank of England.
Manument Bonk?
@@peterjones3557 Bonk-u-ment, surely...
@@1258-Eckhart do stations have lines or lines have stations ?
Agreed. Two separate station names for such a closely interlinked complex seems a bit daft. Am I right in thinking the Elizicross Line will connect Farringdon and Barbican in a similar way? Are there any other examples on the network where you can enter the complex at one station and leave at another without having gone anywhere?
Any video of the improvements from the DLR platforms? Only some vague pictures so far …
Lots of signage for the sales dept at the depot or TfL muesuem ?