Network Rail are delivering a range of changes at London’s busiest train station, Liverpool Street, which will improve the experience for passengers, which are outlined by them below...
We are increasing pedestrian capacity by adding more ticket gates serving Platforms 1-10, relocating some retail units to more convenient locations, and renewing the train shed roof panels to bring more natural light into the station and address water ingress during intense rainfall.
Above: existing concourse with retain units on the gateline.
Gateline capacity
London Liverpool Street is the busiest station in the UK with 80.4 million journeys. Passenger numbers have recovered since the pandemic, already exceeding the 2019 numbers by 16% and are expected to continue to increase. The current layout of the station includes 36 standard ticket gates including five manual wide access gates for Platforms 1-10. At busy times, passengers often have to queue at the ticket barriers whether trying to get to a train, or trying to exit the station from a platform which can be frustrating and inconvenient.
Above: existing gates and retail units
To address this, we are planning to increase the number of available gates by removing five existing retail units that are situated along the gateline. This will not only increase permeability between platform and concourse, it will reduce dwell times and increase visibility of the platforms for passengers and make the station feel more open. Working with our experienced station framework contractor, Spence, passengers will start to notice these changes taking place from August 2024.
Above: visualisations showing continuous gateline serving platforms 1-10
Ticket Office relocation
As part of the gateline improvements, the existing Greater Anglia ticket office on Platform 10 will be relocated next to the station office. This will create space to accommodate three additional retail units by the concourse, providing larger customer facilities away from the gateline and improving the customer experience all round.
Above: existing ticket office will be relocated further along platform 10 in stages to minimise disruption for passengers.
Roof renewal/refurbishment
We are planning work on the trainshed roof which covers platforms 1-10 and the station concourse. This work will include replacement of all the roof panels over the platforms, and a mixture of refurbishment and replacement of panels across the rest of the roof. New roof panels will let in more natural light, helping passengers to have a brighter journey through the station. In addition, our work will also include an upgrade to the rainwater drainage system which will help to alleviate leaks onto the platforms when there is heavy rain, which can sometimes happen with the current roof. These improvements will be delivered using an innovative elevated sliding works platform under the roof, operated from Exchange square. This approach will minimise disruption in the station and allow the replacement/refurbishment to take place overhead while allowing the station operations to continue as normal without interruption. Work is currently planned to start late 2024.
When will works begin?
Work is set to start to relocate the existing Greater Anglia ticket office and create new retail space from late July 2024 when a section of the existing ticket office and five windows will be hoarded off. The remaining windows will remain available until October when the existing ticket office will temporarily close. The new ticket office located further along Platform 10 is currently expected to open later in November. Existing retail units on the gateline will begin to be removed from August 2024 with new gatelines starting to be introduced from November 2024. The roof renewal work is currently expected to begin later in 2024 once the contract has been awarded.
Contact Us
If you’re interested in finding out more about this project, please contact us by visiting our contact us page.
You can also follow us on Twitter @networkrailLST using the hashtag #LSTImprovements.