Passengers have complained about the long wait times at Tooting's newest reachable stations.

Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station opened to the public on Monday , which are both reachable from Tooting on the Northern line.

There are five trains per hour during off-peak times from the new stops at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, which opened yesterday (September 20).

This is set to double to 10 trains per hour next year. Six trains run during rush hour, doubling to 12 in 2022.

Passengers currently have to wait 12 minutes in between trains at off-peak times, with some saying they might as well take a bus to the faster service in Vauxhall.

The £1 billion Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station has been more than 10 years in the making.

And on Monday (September 20), the new stretch began to run from Kennington station on the Charing Cross branch.

Eileen Bagge from Oval, who was shopping in Nine Elms, told The Local Democracy Reporting Service that five trains an hour off-peak is "not enough".

She said: "At this moment, we're not in a great hurry, but I could have been.

"You don't have to wait that time anywhere for a bus or for a tube. The waiting time is very poor.

"I thought about getting the bus back [from Nine Elms to Oval] because it would be quicker – even two buses."

The 64-year-old added that when she goes to Oval and the tube is five minutes away, she just gets a bus as it works out quicker.

Roberto Dardiole, a local of Nine Elms, said: "I understand that there are not enough people, I guess.

"But I was actually thinking of getting the bus to Vauxhall and getting the Victoria line by now."

The 42-year-old said it will be "much better" when the train frequency doubles next year.

Sephen Greenwood, who was visiting London from Abu Dhabi, said: "If you were going on the bus instead, it would still be a 10-12 minute wait for the next bus if you missed the previous bus."

The 47-year-old added: "It's infrequent for a tube but it's not that infrequent for just getting somewhere."

Andy Lord, Managing Director of London Underground, said: "This is the first major tube extension we've opened this century and the first new stations to open on the Northern line for 80 years.

"It has been a monumental effort during the most challenging of times but the opening of the Northern line extension could not have come at a more vital moment as London's recovery from the pandemic gathers pace and people continue to return to the tube network for work and leisure."

A TfL spokesperson said: "Our brand new zone one step-free stations at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms have opened with an initial service of six trains an hour during peak times and five during off-peak times while development at Nine Elms and Battersea completes.

"This frequency will increase to 12 trains per hour mid-way through next year as demand increases, coinciding with growing business and residential occupancy in the area.

"Running six trains per hour on the new extension also allows us to carry out training of all Northern line drivers which, due to covid restrictions, has until recently been restricted.

"We're sure that the two new step-free stations at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms will make a real difference to the lives of local residents, boosting connectivity to the wider area, and will play an important role in the capital's recovery from the pandemic."