Battersea Power Station tube station sees drop in passengers after plan B announcement

Two new Northern line Tube stations in South London have already seen a drop in passengers due to Plan B Covid restrictions.

The new Northern line stations in Battersea and Nine Elms, which opened in September, have already seen fewer people using their services.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that England will move to Plan B on December 8, following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK.

People have been asked to work from home where possible under the Plan B restrictions.

Data provided by TfL showed 8,830 people tapped in at Battersea Power Station on Saturday December, 4 before Plan B was introduced.

On Saturday December, 11, after the Plan B announcement, 7,914 tapped in.

Nine Elms also saw a drop in the same week with 5,445 taps on December 4 and 4,832 a week later.

Transport for London (TfL) said before Plan B measures, 105,000 journeys started or ended at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms stations every week.

TfL said this was in line with expectations at that time.

A TfL spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The Northern Line Extension opened on 20 September 2021 and, before Plan B measures came in, 105,000 journeys started or ended at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms stations every week – in line with expectations at that time.

"The Government's decision to require people to work from home has naturally resulted in a drop in TfL's ridership and we continue to assess what impact this announcement is having on overall ridership levels."

Under the new Plan B rules, face masks are required in more public settings – including theatres and cinemas.

The NHS Covid Pass is also now required for visitors to nightclubs, indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people.

The prime minister previously said in a Downing Street news conference on December 8 that it had become "increasingly clear" Omicron was "growing much faster" than the Delta variant and was "spreading rapidly all around the world".

Boris Johnson added it was "the proportionate and the responsible thing" to introduce stronger Covid restrictions.

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