Inside the £120,000,000 upgrade to South Kensington Tube station

South Kensington station will see a revamp, including its iconic arcade (Copyright: RSHP)

South Kensington, one of London’s oldest Tube stations, will be given a 21st-century transformation as part of a £120,000,000 upgrade.

South Kensington station is one of London’s most iconic, with its tunnels extending to the V&A, Natural History Museum, and Science Museum, giving much-needed protection from the pesky British weather.

The Victorian station has been a part of life in the wealthy west London neighbourhood for more than 157 years, recording almost 30 million journeys in 2024.

Transport for London has announced an upgrade for the Grade II-listed station as part of its list of improvements, following from newly installed toilets to extra trains on the Elizabeth line.

Here is a roundup of the planned changes and when the station refurbishment is expected to be ready.

A CGI visual showing what the refurbished Thurloe Street station entrance will look like (Copyright: RSHP) And this is the look of theSouth Kensington station entrance at the moment (Picture: Getty Images)

What’s changing at South Kensington station?

According to TfL, the redevelopment, which is being delivered by TfL, Native Land and Places for London, will focus on improving accessibility and tackling overcrowding.

Despite the ballooning passenger numbers, the station remains the busiest on the Underground network without full step-free access, making the station ‘extremely difficult’ for those with mobility requirements, TfL said.

Around half a million journeys are reportedly not made from the station each year because of the issues.

A new accessible station entrance will be opened on Thurloe Street, with step-free access to the ticket hall, platforms and the museum subway.

The disused platform 1 will be reopened with a new canopy to serve the eastbound Circle and District lines, and the redevelopment aims to restore the station’s historic arcade ‘to its former glory’.

A look at the newly proposed homes outside South Kensington Tube station (Copyright: RSHP)

Additional changes will come to the station’s platforms, including low-maintenance planting within revetment arches, new TfL roundels, a reduced number of advertisement panels, and new lighting and speakers.

Meanwhile, outside the station, 50 new homes will be built nearby, with provision for some affordable housing on Pelham Street.

A new, four-storey building called ‘The Bullnose’ will be erected at the front of the station with cafes, restaurants and offices, although no retail units have been confirmed for the space yet.

When will the redevelopment be completed?

The platforms will become fully accessibly, with new lifts installed (Picture: TFL)

Design work will kick off this summer, while construction at the station will start in December.

The new station will be unveiled sometime in 2029.

Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, said: ‘This upgrade to South Kensington Tube station and the surrounding area will benefit millions of local people, commuters and tourists visiting the nearby attractions, with the step-free access providing a smoother travel experience.

‘The restoration of this historic design, as well as the addition of new affordable housing, office space and commercial opportunities, is exactly the kind of development we need as we continue to build a better London for everyone.’

Joe Powell, the MP for Kensington and Bayswater, who has been campaigning for the station improvements, said it will make the station ‘accessible to the thousands more people from around the UK and across the globe who travel here.’

Sir Ian Blatchford, the director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, said the current restrictions at the station limit around three million people in wheelchairs and with buggies each year.

‘This project to improve the Tube station is the final piece in ensuring South Kensington is accessible for all visitors. The cultural district collectively generates £2 billion a year for the economy, a figure which will grow as the capacity of the Tube station increases,’ he said.

The Grade II-listed entrance on Cromwell Place next to the old station building will also undergo maintenance (Picture: TfL)

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