Last week we had Battersea Power Station and the Bank DLR escalators. In July we had the Barking Riverside extension, then of course we had Crossrail back in May, and next Monday the much-delayed station at Bond Street finally opens. Then at the start of November we have the long-awaited joining-up of Crossrail, and at the end of the month the big reveal on new connections at Bank. December should bring the opening of Brent Cross West station, close to Staples Corner.
But from 2023 it goes very quiet.
Here's my list of big London openings in 2023 and 2024. 2023: East Bank (QEOP) 2024:
Because I can't think of many.
It doesn't have to be train-related, it could be a major London building scheme, engineering project or chunk of infrastructure. It just has to be some big opening affecting lots of people, so not a cycle lane in Barking, a shopping mall in Clapham, a step-free entrance in Haringey, a gyratory in Lewisham or a tower block in Ealing. And I'm not counting signalling upgrades or new trains on the DLR, it needs to be an actual thing.
TfL's station-opening conveyor belt is now empty, or will be in a week's time. No further London stations are under construction, let alone funded. Croydon's Whitgift redevelopment has stalled, the Bakerloo line extension is suspended and the Silvertown Tunnel isn't due to open before 2025 which is why it's not on the list. Is anything major confirmed for sooner?
The pandemic and subsequent cutbacks have slammed down the lid on optimistic expansion as London's focus shifts from what to grow to what to cull. 2022's expansive burst of infrastructure is the ultra-fortunate beneficiary of plans laid down in happier times, and may never be repeated.
