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NEWS
Abandoned train tunnels below London 'to be transformed' into leisure sites
POSTED 23 Sep 2014 . BY Katie Buckley
Aldwych Station has been closed since 1994, but was used during the First and Second World Wars to store collections from the National Portrait Gallery and The British Museum Credit: flickr.com/diamondgeezer
Up to 34 Transport for London (TfL)-owned “ghost” train tunnels running beneath the UK capital could soon be transformed into an array of attractions and leisure sites, according to reports.

It is understood that TfL is preparing to invite companies to bid to take part in the transformation of several disused Underground and Overground Stations, as well as old horse tunnels that run below the city.

Ajit Chambers, a former Barclays executive, who started The Old London Underground Company back in 2009, believes TFL’s disused assets under the city could be worth around £3.6bn ($5.8bn, €4.5bn).

Out of the 750 tunnels that TfL owns, Chambers has identified 34 possible sites for transformation and reuse. He envisages 13 of these flagship spaces being used for art galleries, nightclubs, hotels and possibly a National Fire Brigade Museum.

Speaking to the MailOnline Chambers said: “In 2009, as part of my effort to assist the financial downturn in the UK, I founded a company that would unearth one of London’s state-owned ‘sleeping property portfolios.’”

In a statement, TfL said: “We cannot show any prejudice ahead of public tender” and that it had “no affiliation” with The Old London Underground Company.

TfL has already undertaken several Underground Station transformations. There is now a herb farm below Clapham North and a deal has recently been signed for customers to pick up Waitrose goods from lockers at Chalfront & Latimer.

Chambers has several prominent investors on board for the venture, including Duncan Vaughn-Arbuckle, founder of the Vinopolis Wine Museum, while mayor of London Boris Johnson has also pledged his support.
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Uniting the world of spa & wellness
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News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
NEWS
Abandoned train tunnels below London 'to be transformed' into leisure sites
POSTED 23 Sep 2014 . BY Katie Buckley
Aldwych Station has been closed since 1994, but was used during the First and Second World Wars to store collections from the National Portrait Gallery and The British Museum Credit: flickr.com/diamondgeezer
Up to 34 Transport for London (TfL)-owned “ghost” train tunnels running beneath the UK capital could soon be transformed into an array of attractions and leisure sites, according to reports.

It is understood that TfL is preparing to invite companies to bid to take part in the transformation of several disused Underground and Overground Stations, as well as old horse tunnels that run below the city.

Ajit Chambers, a former Barclays executive, who started The Old London Underground Company back in 2009, believes TFL’s disused assets under the city could be worth around £3.6bn ($5.8bn, €4.5bn).

Out of the 750 tunnels that TfL owns, Chambers has identified 34 possible sites for transformation and reuse. He envisages 13 of these flagship spaces being used for art galleries, nightclubs, hotels and possibly a National Fire Brigade Museum.

Speaking to the MailOnline Chambers said: “In 2009, as part of my effort to assist the financial downturn in the UK, I founded a company that would unearth one of London’s state-owned ‘sleeping property portfolios.’”

In a statement, TfL said: “We cannot show any prejudice ahead of public tender” and that it had “no affiliation” with The Old London Underground Company.

TfL has already undertaken several Underground Station transformations. There is now a herb farm below Clapham North and a deal has recently been signed for customers to pick up Waitrose goods from lockers at Chalfront & Latimer.

Chambers has several prominent investors on board for the venture, including Duncan Vaughn-Arbuckle, founder of the Vinopolis Wine Museum, while mayor of London Boris Johnson has also pledged his support.
RELATED STORIES
Mail Rail plans get the green light


Islington Borough Council has approved plans to open up a section of the old Post Office Underground Railway – also known as the Mail Rail – as an attraction for the newly created British Postal Museum & Archives (BPMA).
Paris ghost stations could become leisure spaces


Paris’ 16 “ghost stations” which have been disused for decades could have new life breathed into them as leisure spaces, if ideas put forward by a politician come to fruition.
MORE NEWS
The Good Spa Guide sets up event for modified Good Spa Guide Awards
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House Hotel in St Albans, UK.
McKinsey: 84 per cent of consumers say wellness is a top priority
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of Wellness 2026 research report.
Protests continue in Albania against US$1.6 billion luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Barons Eden rebrands to Hiddenwell ahead of spa hotel portfolio expansion
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Glow beyond protection: meet Comfort Zone Hydramemory Hybrid Glow SPF 30
Sun protection is no longer just about shielding the skin – it's about enhancing it. [more...]

Embrace the chill: TechnoAlpin's Snowsky revolutionises post-fitness recovery with falling snow
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
COMPANY PROFILES
Aromatherapy Associates

Aromatherapy Associates is a world-leading British wellness brand, harnessing the power of essential [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  

DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

21-23 Jun 2026

Spa Life International (UK)

Midlands (Venue TBA), Liphook, United Kingdom
22-22 Jun 2026

World Bathing Day

Worldwide,
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
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LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
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