TfL celebrates 25 years since the Jubilee line extension connected Green Park to London's booming Docklands area and linked all London's Tube lines.
- All 11 new stations featured modern design led by architect Roland Paoletti to herald the new millennium and were built step-free, with lifts, ramps and level surfaces for people with accessibility requirements
- Today, TfL is working on more than 80 ambitious new actions from its Equity in Motion plan to make the Tube and wider transport network accessible and inclusive for all
- To celebrate, TfL has created special 25th anniversary posters that will feature along the Jubilee line over the coming weeks
Transport for London (TfL) is celebrating 25 years since the Jubilee line extension was completed with special anniversary posters along the line. The major engineering project connected the West End to the rapidly developing Docklands in the late 1990s, linking every Tube line and making travel in London more accessible.
While the original Jubilee line opened in May 1979 between Stanmore and Charing Cross, the extension to London Underground's youngest line was completed in three phases. This began in May 1999 between Stratford, the line's current eastern terminus and where Stratford International and Westfield Shopping Centre would later open, and North Greenwich, close to the Millennium Dome. It then extended further west to Bermondsey via the bustling financial hub of Canary Wharf, transformed in the 1980s and 1990s by the London Docklands Development Corporation. By the end of the year, with the new millennium on the horizon, the extension was completely open from Stratford to Green Park, creating the line as we know it today that links the north west and east of the city.
Over the course of 25 years London's landscape has changed dramatically, and today the Jubilee line remains unique in providing interchanges with every Tube line, the DLR and six national rail stations, as well as Overground stations and the more recently added Elizabeth line. The 1999 extension brought 11 new stations in total, each with 'future-proof' architectural design led by Roland Paoletti, with each of the stations designed by a different architect under his guidance, to ring in the new millennium. A prime example is Canada Water station, which was built with glass walls to allow natural light to filter through the station to the platforms.
Each of the new stations offered step-free access from the street to the Tube platforms. Lifts, ramps and level surfaces enabled people with accessibility requirements to avoid stairs and escalators. The extension significantly increased the number of step-free access stations in London, and while more than a third of all stations across the city today provide step-free access, TfL is working towards the Mayor's ambitious goal of 50 per cent of Tube stations to be step-free. Plans are afoot to make West Hampstead, part of the original Jubilee line, step-free, and a feasibility study is looking at the same for Finchley Road. Mini ramps are now in place at 47 step-free to train Tube stations where there is a small gap between the platform and trains. Mini ramps will be installed at an additional 22 stations this summer, allowing for even smoother transitions on and off trains.
Dale Smith, Head of Customer Operations on the Jubilee line, yesterday said:
"The Jubilee line extension was a remarkable feat that changed the geography of our city as we saw in the new millennium. Creating a fast, reliable connection between the West End and the thriving Docklands area brought significant economic rewards for the city and more homes for thousands of Londoners. The extension also helped to lay the foundation for our ongoing accessibility work to ensure all Londoners can make the most of what our city has to offer.
"The Mayor and TfL continue to develop our world-class transport offer, in the past few years completing the Elizabeth line, Northern line extensions and installing 4G across the network."
Passengers will be able to spot Jubilee line 25-year anniversary posters at stations across the Tube network over the coming weeks.
Notes to Editor
- Earlier this year, TfL launched an ambitious new plan with more than 80 commitments to ensure that London's transport network is welcoming and inclusive, and by working together with partners such as London's boroughs we'll be able to achieve this and create a fairer and more accessible London. The plan is available at: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/equity-in-motion-full.pdf
- The Jubilee line has 34 lifts and 118 escalators providing step-free access to all platforms
- While TfL is now operationally financially sustainable and can cover most of its costs, like other transport authorities, it cannot fund its capital projects entirely by itself. Investment in London's transport system in the past decade has been constrained, leading to higher costs & inefficiencies and stifling growth & housing development
- TfL are keen to work with transport authorities across the country to secure a national transport funding settlement like those that are in place for Network Rail and other local authorities to ensure that public transport remains attractive for those living, working and visiting the capital
- With a long-term funding deal, TfL will be able to deliver a programme of sustainable investment, aligning supply chains around long-term programmes and offering better outcomes for less cost. This will protect London's position as a leading global city and economic powerhouse