Get you up to speed: Inside the £120 million renovation of South Kensington Tube station | News UK
Transport for London will oversee a £120,000,000 redevelopment of South Kensington station to enhance accessibility and reduce overcrowding by 2029.
Transport for London will start construction on South Kensington station in December 2026, with completion expected in 2029 to enhance accessibility and capacity.
Design work for the £120,000,000 upgrade of South Kensington station will commence this summer, with construction set to begin in December.
What we know so far
South Kensington Tube station is set to undergo a significant £120 million upgrade, marking its first major revamp in over 157 years. The improvements aim to enhance accessibility and alleviate overcrowding at one of London’s busiest stations.
The redevelopment, announced by Transport for London (TfL), responds to the increasing passenger numbers, which hit almost 30 million in 2024. Currently, South Kensington lacks full step-free access, making it particularly challenging for those with mobility issues. A new accessible entrance on Thurloe Street is planned, along with the reopening of a disused platform to improve service to the eastbound Circle and District lines.
Design work for the upgrade will commence this summer, with construction beginning in December. The refurbished station is expected to be unveiled in 2029. Joe Powell, MP for Kensington and Bayswater, affirmed that these changes will significantly benefit thousands of visitors and local commuters.
As part of the project, 50 new homes will also be built nearby, aiming to include affordable housing. This redevelopment is seen as crucial for increasing the capacity of the station, which currently limits access for around three million people each year.
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Inside the £120,000,000 upgrade to South Kensington Tube station | News UK
South Kensington, one of London’s oldest Tube stations, will be given a 21st-century transformation as part of a £120,000,000 upgrade.
South Kensington station is one of London’s most iconic, with its tunnels extending to the V&A, Natural History Museum, and Science Museum, giving much-needed protection from the pesky British weather.
The Victorian station has been a part of life in the wealthy west London neighbourhood for more than 157 years, recording almost 30 million journeys in 2024.
Transport for London has announced an upgrade for the Grade II-listed station as part of its list of improvements, following from newly installed toilets to extra trains on the Elizabeth line.
Here is a roundup of the planned changes and when the station refurbishment is expected to be ready.
What’s changing at South Kensington station?
According to TfL, the redevelopment, which is being delivered by TfL, Native Land and Places for London, will focus on improving accessibility and tackling overcrowding.
Despite the ballooning passenger numbers, the station remains the busiest on the Underground network without full step-free access, making the station ‘extremely difficult’ for those with mobility requirements, TfL said.
Around half a million journeys are reportedly not made from the station each year because of the issues.
A new accessible station entrance will be opened on Thurloe Street, with step-free access to the ticket hall, platforms and the museum subway.
The disused platform 1 will be reopened with a new canopy to serve the eastbound Circle and District lines, and the redevelopment aims to restore the station’s historic arcade ‘to its former glory’.
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Additional changes will come to the station’s platforms, including low-maintenance planting within revetment arches, new TfL roundels, a reduced number of advertisement panels, and new lighting and speakers.
Meanwhile, outside the station, 50 new homes will be built nearby, with provision for some affordable housing on Pelham Street.
A new, four-storey building called ‘The Bullnose’ will be erected at the front of the station with cafes, restaurants and offices, although no retail units have been confirmed for the space yet.
When will the redevelopment be completed?
Design work will kick off this summer, while construction at the station will start in December.
The new station will be unveiled sometime in 2029.
Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, said: ‘This upgrade to South Kensington Tube station and the surrounding area will benefit millions of local people, commuters and tourists visiting the nearby attractions, with the step-free access providing a smoother travel experience.
‘The restoration of this historic design, as well as the addition of new affordable housing, office space and commercial opportunities, is exactly the kind of development we need as we continue to build a better London for everyone.’
History of South Kensington Tube station
South Kensington is one of the oldest stations in London, but it is often overshadowed by other spots that opened just a few years earlier like Baker Street, Paddington, Edgware Road and Farrindgon.
The station – which is officially the 22nd oldest in London – opened on Christmas Eve 1868, serving the predecessors of the WTXpolitan and District lines.
In a bid to alleviate congestion, which was a problem even in the early 20th-century London, new deep-level platforms opened in 1906 alongside the sub-surface platforms.
If you have gone to the Royal Albert Hall or the museums in west London, the chances are you’ve used the pedestrian subway tunnel extending from the station under Exhibition Road.
This tunnel, opened in 1885, first charged Londoners 1 penny a pop to use it before becoming free of charge in 1908.
Joe Powell, the MP for Kensington and Bayswater, who has been campaigning for the station improvements, said it will make the station ‘accessible to the thousands more people from around the UK and across the globe who travel here.’
Sir Ian Blatchford, the director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, said the current restrictions at the station limit around three million people in wheelchairs and with buggies each year.
‘This project to improve the Tube station is the final piece in ensuring South Kensington is accessible for all visitors. The cultural district collectively generates £2 billion a year for the economy, a figure which will grow as the capacity of the Tube station increases,’ he said.
