Escalator work at the Northern Line stop was due to take 12 months – but that schedule has changed

NO date can be confirmed for the reopening of Kentish Town Tube station – after surveyors told Transport for London that they had found vital extra safety work that needed to be done. The tube station closed in June last year for escalators to be replaced.

The work was due to take 12 months, but Transport for London announced in May that the work would not be finished until September.

Now transport chiefs have revealed to the New Journal that while the escalator work has gone well and is nearly complete, other unspecified issues have come to light – and no re-opening date can be confirmed.

The closure has been blamed by shops and businesses in Kentish Town for a dramatic drop in footfall – with some claiming that the loss of trade has put some businesses at risk.

Paul Davis, who owned the Lady Hamilton pub on the high street, was forced to close late last year – and said his fall in takings was linked to the tube station closing.

The Kentish Town Neighbourhood forum has been lobbying TfL to install lifts to the station – a plea that was turned down on financial grounds. Chairman Ian Grant said it still hoped this could be done in the future, and bemoaned the further delay.

He said: “If the refurbishment is delayed again, it is bad and damaging news for Kentish Town shopkeepers and commuters. Let’s hope the early engagement between TfL and the Camden Film Quarter [due to be built in Regis Road] to consider future station improvements including provision for step-free access provides better news longer term.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “We are on track to complete the installation of the new escalators at Kentish Town this summer. However, the essential repair work on unrelated assets is ongoing and must be completed to allow the station to operate safely. Our engineers are doing everything possible to reopen the station while ensuring that the high standards of safety our colleagues and customers expect on the tube are met.”