Work on two new underground stations on the Northern line is well underway, with Transport for London today releasing images of its historic tube logo being installed at Battersea Power Station.

The first icons, known as roundels, have now been installed on the platform at the new underground station in Battersea, which is due to open next year.

In total, 113 roundels are being manufactured for the two new Northern Line Extension stations, which are scheduled to open in autumn 2021.

Although they are not yet visible to the public, TfL say it marks an important milestone in the construction of the new stations.

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The Northern Line Extension will be the first major tube line extension since the Jubilee line in the late 1990s.

It will connect Kennington to Battersea Power Station, via Nine Elms, so residents and commuters at the new site will be able to get to the City and the West End within just 15 minutes.

Paddy Keane, Chair of the Battersea High Street Residents Association said public transport links are currently really bad in the area, other than the 19 bus.

However, he thinks this makes the area more residential and quieter.

“We hope the arrival of companies like Apple are beneficial for the area and they get involved with the local community,” he said.

“I’m sure the new stations will be handy to the office workers and residents of the development, but I can’t see them being much use to our community as the power station is 30-45 mins walk away.”

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Fellow Battersea resident Nick Barber is particularly excited for the opening of Nine Elms station as a useful alternative for Vauxhall, but Christine Eccles worries that the new stations will only benefit the new residents of the “luxury flats” on the new development, and that other parts of Battersea will be left behind. 

She said she would prefer to see the underground run through Clapham Junction with a stop at Culvert Road linking with Victoria.

 

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Why do underground stations have logos?

The new roundels for Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms are being manufactured at family owned AJ Wells & Sons Ltd on the Isle of Wight where London transport signage has been produced for generations.

In 1908 the very first roundel started life as a platform nameboard at the station we now call St James’s Park.

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It was originally known as the bar and circle, and was created to make station names stand out against the adverts and billboards on platform walls.

The new roundels at Battersea Power Station are the first roundels to be manufactured for a new Northern line station since the opening of the extension to Morden in 1926.

Heidi Alexander, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “It’s really exciting to see roundels now in place at Battersea Power Station – it makes the opening of the extension next year feel so much closer.”

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Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Director of Major Projects, added: “The roundel is recognised around the world as the symbol of London’s transport network so it’s a highly significant moment when the first one is installed at a new station.

“As well as new roundels, our two Northern Line Extension stations now have track, platforms and escalators as their transformation from concrete shells to state-of-the-art stations continues apace. The arrival of the new roundels also demonstrates how sustained investment in the capital’s transport infrastructure benefits not only Londoners but the whole country, through the extensive business supply chain.”