A major Tube station will become exit-only due to ongoing issues with its escalators, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.
Angel Station in Islington sees almost 12,000,000 visitors each year.
But the Northern Line station, which boasts the longest escalators on the London Underground network, will become exit-only so engineers can work on extending the working life of the escalators.
In April, one of the bustling transport hub’s three 200ft escalators failed, and TfL now predicts the second could soon suffer a similar fate – a failure that could force the entire closure of the station.
The third of the 35-year-old escalators is also in need of an upgrade, according to the transport body.
The exit-only restrictions, which affect the station only on weekends and bank holidays, will be introduced on January 2, 2027, until further notice.
Analysis by TfL confirms that more people leave the station than enter it on weekends and bank holidays.
According to The Standard, TfL is exploring ways to repair or replace the escalators, but due to ongoing funding pressures limiting its options, engineers are focused on keeping the escalators running for as long as possible.
Richard Jones, Director of Asset Performance Delivery for London Underground, said in a statement: ‘The escalators at Angel have been in service for almost 35 years and are becoming less reliable and increasingly difficult to maintain.
‘Their size means renewal or replacement is a challenging, expensive project and we are currently exploring all options possible to extend their working life.
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What transport upgrades are happening in London?
London and its gigantic transportation network, which includes the Tube, London Overground, and National Rail lines, is always changing. These are all of the transport upgrades happening in the capital right now:
- South Kensington Tube station is undergoing an extensive £120,000,000 upgrade to tackle overcrowding and improve accessibility.
- London’s Liverpool Street station is about to undergo a major £1,200,000,000 upgrade, which sees a revamp of the entire building to ‘future-proof’ it for the estimated 200,000,000 passengers expected in the decades ahead.
- Consultation is ongoing for a new London Overground train line in west London, running between Hendon and Hounslow.
- London’s Euston station is getting a major £50,000,000 upgrade that will change platform announcements, improve the current assisted travel lounge, and add new seating on the upstairs balcony.
‘Many years of constrained Government funding for essential asset renewals has meant that we have not been able to invest in new escalators at the station.
‘Making the station exit-only during specific periods will allow us to extend the working life of the escalators and give us more time to plan our next steps, with design work on replacing the escalators to begin this autumn.
‘I understand that any disruption to the station will have an impact on customers, businesses and the local community and we will do all we can to work closely with local stakeholders to ensure that we mitigate the disruption as much as possible.’
How can I travel from Angel at weekends?
If you’re someone who regularly travels around Angel Station and wants to start a journey from the nearby area, TfL has advised you to take any of the five bus routes – 30, 73, 205, 214 or 476 – to King’s Cross St Pancras.
Alternatively, you can take bus routes 43, 205 or 214 to Old Street Tube Station, or head to Highbury & Islington Station by using bus routes 4, 19, 30 or 43, or by a 20-minute walk.