A Tube station on the Northern line is to close for six months and the line’s Edgware branch will be part-closed for 10 days after Easter, it was announced on Wednesday.
Colindale station will shut on Friday June 7 until December to enable it to undergo a major capacity upgrade that will include providing step-free access.
There will also be a series of closures of the top section of the Edgware branch of the Northern line – between Golders Green and Edgware – between April and July to enable the work to be carried out.
The first of these closures will be immediately after the Easter bank holiday weekend, from Tuesday April 2 until Thursday April 11.
The improvements at Colindale include a larger ticket hall and the installation of a lift to give the station step-free access for the first time. The 1960s entrance will be replaced, the canopy removed and new staircases built.
The station will reopen in December with a temporary pedestrian passageway. The upgrade is due to be completed by autumn 2025.
Due to new housing in the area, the present station had been due to reach capacity by 2026. The upgrade is being funded from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, with contributions from Barnet council, developers and TfL.
During the closure, customers are advised to take the bus to Burnt Oak or Hendon Central stations, or to Kingsbury for the Jubilee line. Alternatively they can catch a Thameslink train at Mill Hill Broadway or Hendon.
The line closures are required to enable piling, crane operation and demolition work to take place.
Temporary bus services will run between Golders Green and Edgware stations, and also to Canons Park station for Jubilee line services, during the track closures. Southbound services from Golders Green will not be affected.
David Rowe, TfL’s director of investment delivery planning, said: “The major upgrade of Colindale station is set to transform the journeys of many thousands of our customers, making the station more accessible and welcoming, and ensuring it’s fit to serve this rapidly growing community for many decades to come.
“I appreciate that this upgrade will cause some disruption for our customers but we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that, through our detailed travel advice, they can plan ahead and are able to complete their journeys using the public transport network.”
Barry Rawlings, leader of Barnet council, said: “Colindale is one of the fastest growing neighbourhoods in London, with a population that has expanded by 70 per cent over the last 10 years.
“The redevelopment of the Tube station is desperately needed as it reaches capacity by 2026 and, left undone, will stifle our plans to further regenerate the area.
“However, it does mean that TfL will need to close the station while the works take place. Although we appreciate this is the only viable option, we recognise the inconvenience this will cause to those of us who depend on it.”
