The Northern line extension in south London has seen over 5 million journeys on the line to Battersea in its first year, Transport for London (TfL) has announced. Passenger numbers growth is also accelerating. It took six months to reach the 2 millionth journey, and the subsequent six months clocked up 3 million passenger journeys.

According to TfL figures, of the two stations, Battersea Power Station is busier, with approximately 80,000 trips per week and almost 15,000 trips routinely recorded on the busiest day of the week (Wednesday). Nine Elms station attracts more than 40,000 trips each week and almost 8,000 trips on the busiest day – typically a mid-week day as well.

TfL says that the top destinations for trips made from the new stations at Battersea and Nine Elms include Bank, London Bridge, Leicester Square and Waterloo. Analysis of journey times before and after the opening of the extension found it has nearly halved the average journey time between the area and the City and West End.

The doors to the Northern Line Extensions two new Tube stations, at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station, opened on 20th September 2021. In June 2022, TfL doubled the frequency of trains on the extension, from six to 12 trains per hour during peak times, and from five to 10 trains per hour at off-peak times.

TfL’s latest modelling indicates that annual passenger journeys on the extension could reach up to 10 million trips per year in 2024/25 – which is higher than the 8 million projected a year ago. This is due to factors including London’s continued recovery from the pandemic, the ongoing growth and regeneration in the Battersea and Nine Elms areas, and the increased number of trains per hour on the extension.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As London continues to recover from the pandemic, it’s vital that we encourage people back on to our public transport in order to make a cleaner, greener and better London for everyone. The two new stations on the Northern Line are at the heart of these efforts – the Northern Line Extension has improved the links between these south London neighbourhoods and the rest of the capital, cut journey times, and played an important role in drawing people back onto the network.”

The number of passenger journeys on the Northern Line Extension totalled 5,041,743 as of the week ending 17th September 2022.