Cost of commuting from Kennington reduced as station rezoned from Sunday

An empty Northern Line platform at Kennington station

(Picture: PA)

Commuters travelling to zone one stations by tube from Kennington will see their fare reduced from Sunday after the station gets re-zoned.

The change sees it go from being a Zone 2 station to Zone 1/2, meaning a single pay-as-you-go fare will be reduced to £2.40 at any time of day.

The move comes as part of Transport for London’s preparations to open its extension to the Northern Line later this year.

It is part of the funding agreement which will also see new step-free stations open at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms.

The fare zone change also means that people travelling from Kennington to Balham, Tooting and Morden will also not pay any extra.

Andy Lord, managing director of London Underground, said: “As more people return to the transport network, changing Kennington to a Zone 1/2 station will benefit local residents, ensuring that they get the best value fare no matter which direction they are travelling in. 

“The Northern Line Extension will provide vital sustainable transport links to thousands of residents and businesses in Battersea and the surrounding areas.”

TfL has been running test trains through the line’s extension since Christmas and says it expects to “move into the trial operations phase” in the summer, ahead of the line opening in autumn. 

Work on the new escalators and lifts for the new stations will also be completed in the coming weeks, a spokesperson confirmed.

The public areas around the new stations are being completed with work on new walking and cycling access through the railway arch by Nine Elms station.

It will create a link to the Embassy Gardens area, due to open in advance of the new extension.

 TfL has also recently opened new customer passageways between platforms within Kennington station, aimed at making changing between different branches of the Northern line quicker and easier.