Jubilee Line Extension
The section between Charing Cross and Green Park, which diverges to the northwest, is now unused for passenger services but is maintained for emergency use.
The abandoned platforms are occasionally rented out by TfL as a film set e.g. Skyfall, Thor: The Dark World and Woman in Black II.
Plans to extend the line were revived in the late 1980s, prompted by the proposed development of London Docklands and Canary Wharf, which substantially increased the predicted numbers of jobs in the Isle of Dogs and required a transport network with much greater capacity than provided by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
[14][15] Construction of the project officially began on 8 December 1993, with a ceremony at Canary Wharf attended by Prime Minister John Major.
[21] Other delays subsequently affected the project, including wildcat strikes by electricians and changes to the designs of the stations.
[22][23] The extension was supposed to have moving block signalling, designed by Westinghouse, in order to reach 36 trains per hour at peak times.
[33] The first phase of the extension from Stratford to North Greenwich was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on 14 May 1999.
[36] Westminster – complicated by the interface with the subsurface platforms, which remained in operation during construction – opened on 22 December 1999, shortly before the Millennium Dome deadline.
[38] In March 2005, a criminal trial regarding corruption and insider information during the construction of the extension collapsed, after 21 months and a cost of £60m.
[40] Stations are characterised by cavernous, stark interiors lined with polished metal panels and moulded concrete walls and columns.
Canary Wharf has been compared to a cathedral, with it being said that the neighbouring One Canada Square, if laid on its side, could fit in the station with room to spare.
[42] Upon opening, the Jubilee Line Extension was widely welcomed, with praise for the architecture, accessibility and expansion of the Tube to south-east and east London.
[1] The Royal Fine Art Commission named the extension as a whole their Millennium Building of the Year, with the chair of the judging panel calling it "comparable to the achievement of Haussmann when he constructed the great boulevards of Paris".
[50] Since the opening of the extension in 1999, areas along the line such as Canary Wharf, the Greenwich Peninsula and Stratford have seen substantial commercial and residential development.
[52] During October 2004, TfL published a report showing "substantial benefits" as a result of the extension, including development of the Canary Wharf financial district, reduced travel time for residents along the line and improved modal share.
[53] As part of the development of the Crossrail project, TfL estimated that agglomeration benefits as a result of the JLE led to a benefit–cost ratio of around 3, an increase from 1.56 calculated in 1989.
[51] The extension has proved extremely successful in relieving congestion on the DLR and in opening up access to parts of east London with formerly poor transport links.
[42] The Jubilee line was considered an essential part of the public transport network for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, allowing access to major venues in Stratford and the Royal Docks.
