Colindale and Leyton Tube stations get £43.1m Levelling Up boost

Two Tube stations in London – Colindale and Leyton – are to get major upgrades after being awarded £43.1m Levelling Up funding from the Government.

The DfT has approved Transport for London’s Full Business Case for both schemes, which will result in the stations being step-free for the first time, as well as paving the way for major housing developments.

Funding will be allocated to the redevelopment of Colindale station immediately while detailed design work Leyton station will start in the coming months. Financial contributions will also be made by the Greater London Authority (GLA), Barnet Council (for Colindale), Waltham Forest Council (for Leyton) and local developers.

TfL said the Levelling Up money will enable it to let the construction contract before the end of 2024 for the rebuilding of Colindale station which, in its current state, was projected to reach passenger capacity by 2026. Under the plans, the 1960s-built entrance will be replaced with a ‘landmark’ station building.

Leyton station will get a new ticket hall built adjacent to the existing one, two new staircases and two lifts. The construction contract is expected to be awarded in summer 2024.

The upgraded Tube stations will support major housing developments, said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. He said that redeveloping Colindale station will enable the building of 11,400 new homes for local people. Since 2011, Colindale's population has grown by 70%, making the area around the station the second-fastest growing ward in London after the Stratford Olympic Park in Newham.

Meanwhile, 2,000 new homes are being built near Leyton Tube station, with a further 5,300 new homes proposed.

TfL said that delivering step-free access at the stations will continue its work to make the capital’s transport network more accessible. Since 2016, TfL said it has worked to reduce additional journey times for those who need accessible routes by 40%, in line with the Mayor’s target of 50% by 2030. Knightsbridge and Paddington (Bakerloo line) Tube stations will both be made step-free next year, following the completion of the Bank station upgrade in February 2023, which delivered step-free access to the Northern line and improved step-free access to the DLR.

Find out more about these and other developments at Rail Stations + Property  on 5 March in London, organised by Landor LINKS, sponsored by Burges Salmon and supported by LTT.

The event will focus on: changing travel patterns, including the resurgence of leisure travel; stations as hubs, with a focus on mobility hubs; and transport-led development with a spotlight on major UK projects.