A section of the Northern Line between Kennington and Moorgate has closed temporarily. The part of the Bank branch of the line will be closed for 17 weeks until mid-May 2021, to allow for a new platform to be dug at Bank station. The stations that will not have Northern Line service during this time are Kennington, Elephant & Castle, Borough, London Bridge, Bank and Moorgate. A new London bus service has been launched to run between Kennington and Moorgate temporarily so that passengers can still travel the route. Despite the positives that will come out of the construction, many people question whether it will be worth the cost, or whether it's even the best use of TfL’s highly limited budget. Due to the pandemic, less passengers have been using TfL services, including the Underground, and the highly fare-reliant network hasn’t been making any money. Recent government bailouts have kept it afloat, but now those haven’t been renewed, and it’s thought expensive TfL expansions have become unrealistic. However, whether or not these improvements will bring more passengers in or not is still unknown, as better accessibility and reliability will encourage more people to travel on the Northern Line. For now, part of the Northern Line will be closed, and works will be carried out for some time. In May 2022, when the works end, we shall see the result.
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