London Bridge Station
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LONDON BRIDGE STATION© 2018 Thomas Graham The upgrade work at London Bridge the creation of a brand new street-level to a similar design, but with modern Station is now complete. It is part concourse, allowing passengers to access construction methods to ensure they of Network Rail’s £7bn Thameslink for the first time all 15 platforms from one would support modern train loads. Programme and one of the most place. Now open, the concourse is two- thirds larger than before, forming an area To meet the requirements of the planning complex and ambitious rail station the size of the pitch at Wembley stadium. authority, the design incorporates an Outcomes redevelopments in the UK to date. iconic and futuristic looking roof formed As the fourth busiest station in the Retail was an important part of the of sculpted canopies. MEP plant was country, increased capacity has design, with the layout of the station also hidden in a specially designed MEP been provided by creating new configured to allow for up to 70,000 sq. spine within the station. There were platforms for more trains, building ft. of retail space. This has been focused significant challenges in delivering the a new concourse, and developing in the ‘unpaid’ sections of the station, phased construction within the available a bigger and better station for helping it to become a destination for blockades. These were solved by the passengers. Crucially, as a key the local area as well as for passengers whole team using an innovative modular part of the rail network it was not passing through. It is expected that canopy and precast platform solution; the transformation of this essential components were constructed off site and possible to close the whole station. station will act as a catalyst for the wider assembled quickly on site allowing the This meant that the £1bn upgrade redevelopment of the area, not only ambitious construction programme to be £1bn station redevelopment plan had to be undertaken while the enhancing the experience of passengers, achieved successfully. New assets had to station continued to handle up to 54 but also highlighting the wider value be fully commissioned and in operation million passenger journeys a year. inherent in transport and associated before the next phase could start. infrastructure. London Bridge differs from many Arcadis WSP - a 50:50 joint venture - is other major London stations in that it Bringing the redevelopment plans the lead design organisation for the acts as both a terminus and a ‘through at London Bridge to life required project. Throughout the redevelopment, station’ to central London. This meant a considered design that not only the entire team has been co-located in that to increase capacity and alleviate accommodated a significant increase one office next to the station, with the bottlenecks as trains come into and pass in passenger numbers, but also design team peaking at over 240 full time through the station, the team needed acknowledged the station’s iconic status equivalent staff. 78% to completely reconfigure the track as a key transport hub, both in scale and increase in passenger capacity layout, designing a safe change from six in its unique heritage location. Stainer The redeveloped London Bridge station through and nine terminus platforms to St (through the middle of the station) will allow for a significant improvement nine through and six terminus, without has been pedestrianised creating a new in train frequency, along with greatly causing major disruption to passengers. link from north to south. Previously the improved facilities and space for station cut one side off from the other. 96 million passengers per year. At This was achieved via the phased peak times, the new timetable will demolition of the old platforms and the This meant that some elements of London accommodate around 24 trains per hour. arches below. Working progressively from Bridge were maintained, or refurbished. There will also be more trains to more south to north, platforms were brought For example, in the Western Arcade destinations, including a connection to back into use on a staged basis, each one the quadripartite arches were seen as a Crossrail services at Farringdon, providing coming into service before the next stage grand feature of the old station but their links across and beyond London in 24 trains of works commenced. Work also included capacity was limited. They were rebuilt all directions. per hour at peak times Contacts: Mac Alghita Darren Reed Arcadis WSP Head of Infrastructure Managing Director, Rail +44 (0) 7909 537 870 +44 (0) 2073 378 672 © 2018 Thomas Graham © 2018 Thomas Graham © 2018 sneequaye.