Northern Line extension: 20,000 journeys made on first day as passengers flock to Tube expansion

A passenger photographs the arrival of a Northern Line tube train at the newly opened Nine Elms underground station

(Picture: REUTERS)

More than 20,000 journeys were made on the Northern line extension as passengers flocked to the first Tube extension this century.

Transport for London said there had been 13,300 entries and exits at the new station at Battersea Power Station yesterday and 7,100 at Nine Elms.

About 150 enthusiasts had been waiting outside the Battersea station at 5am to travel on the first train into central London. It departed at 528am to a party atmosphere on board.

TfL said more than 3,000 trips had been made by 9am on Monday. A spokesman said that traffic grew at both stations through the working day, with peaks of 1,350 entries and exits at Battersea Power Station between 6pm-7pm and 780 entries and exits at Nine Elms in the same hour.

The opening was marked by Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, and a inflatable Tube roundel was flown from one of the power station’s chimneys, in an echo of the inflatable pig once flown for a Pink Floyd album cover.

Both stations were built under a £1.1bn scheme designed to regenerate the wider Nine Elms area, which has the redeveloped power station at its heart. Its rebirth gets fully underway next summer when it reopens as a shopping, entertainment, restaurant and office venue, with Apple its flagship tenant.