South Kensington Tube Station's More Than £120 Million Overhaul Confirmed as Costain Wins Contract

Transport for London has announced that construction firm Costain has been awarded the design-and-build contract for the overhaul of Grade II-listed South Kensington Underground station, which serves the Circle, District, and Piccadilly lines. The contract award, coming three years after the project received planning permission, means the scheme can now fully progress, with work expected to start before the end of this year and a 2031 completion target. The redevelopment is expected to cost more than £120 million. For the first time, the station will gain step-free access to all three line platforms, the ticket hall, and the subway connecting to the nearby museum cluster — the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Natural History Museum — via a new accessible entrance on Thurloe Street. A new dedicated eastbound platform for the Circle and District lines is also planned. The station's shopping arcade and adjoining Thurloe Street retail units will be redeveloped to create 53 new homes, 35 per cent of which will be affordable. A new four-storey building at the front of the station, named the Bullnose, will house food and drink units on the ground floor and offices above. Heritage features throughout the station will also be restored. TfL estimates that more than 500,000 journeys a year have been lost due to the station's current accessibility barriers.