London Bridge Station, Street Level Concourse Redevelopment, Architecture, Construction Images

London Bridge Station Street Level Concourse News

New Station Building + Platforms Redevelopment design by Grimshaw architects, England, UK

6 Oct 2016

London Bridge Station Rebuild Final Phase

London Bridge Station Rebuild Final Phase News

Video: ‘Incredible’ progress just one month into final phase of London Bridge station rebuild

Thursday 6 Oct 2016 – Timelapse footage captured by Network Rail shows the incredible progress made in just one month as the rebuilding of London Bridge station moves into its final phase.

http://youtu.be/dx0sCWoaZm8

Over the August bank holiday, two-thirds of the new station concourse opened to the public and newly rebuilt platforms 7, 8 and 9 came into use for passengers using Southeastern trains. At the same time, platforms 1, 2 and 3 were taken out of use to be demolished and rebuilt above the final section of street-level concourse which opens in January 2018.

Aerial photography and timelapse recording captured between the bank holiday weekend and the end of September show Network Rail’s engineers working round-the-clock to demolish platforms 1-3 and deliver major work to the tracks through the station as part of the Thameslink Programme. The ‘Orange Army’ can be seen laying new track for trains to and from Cannon Street and trains resuming on their new lines after the three-day blockade.

Platforms 1, 2 and 3 are reduced to rubble and the brick supports on top of the original Victorian arches are revealed, as the platform buildings and the last of the 1970’s footbridge are demolished down to street level, making way for the final third of the new concourse to be built.

The redevelopment of London Bridge station is a key part of the Thameslink Programme, which will improve north-south journeys to and through London and provide better, more frequent and more reliable train services across the south east. In addition to the work at London Bridge station, Network Rail is also carrying out extensive upgrades to the surrounding tracks and signaling including a brand new junction – the Bermondsey dive under –to untangle the tracks on the eastern approaches to London Bridge. The new junction – similar to a motorway flyover or underpass – will provide dedicated tracks for Thameslink and Southeastern trains for the first time from 2018 which will reduce delays, reduce congestion and allow more trains to run.

Simon Blanchflower, Network Rail’s Thameslink Programme director, said: “In August we reached a huge milestone for the Thameslink Programme with the opening of the first part of the new concourse at London Bridge. The progress we’ve made since then has been nothing short of incredible. The new station looks fantastic and understandably grabs a lot of the attention, but just as important is the work we’re doing at Bermondsey and on the approaches to the station. Ultimately, that’s what allows us to give passengers what they really want – better, more frequent and more reliable journeys.”

The new platforms and final section of the concourse at London Bridge will come into operational use in January 2018, allowing Cannon Street trains to resume calling at the station. All passengers will benefit from wider, fully-accessible platforms, better facilities and a wide range of retail outlets.

About Network Rail
Network Rail owns, manages and develops Britain’s railway – the 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 bridges and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations (the largest of which we also run). In partnership with train operators we help people take more than 1.65bn journeys by rail every year and move hundreds of millions of tonnes of freight, saving almost 8m lorry journeys. We employ 36,000 people across Britain and work round-the-clock, each and every day, to provide a safe, reliable railway.

About the Railway Upgrade Plan
The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail’s investment plan for Britain’s railways. It makes up two-thirds of Network Rail’s £40bn spending priorities for the five years to 2019 and represents the biggest sustained programme of rail modernisation since the Victoria era.

It is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to the tremendous growth Britain’s railways continue to experience; passenger numbers have doubled in the past 20 years and are set to double again over the next 25 years – so we need to continue to invest in building a bigger, better railway. For passengers, that means:

• longer, faster more frequent trains;
• better, more reliable infrastructure; and
• better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.

previously on e-architect:

30 Aug 2016

London Bridge Station Street Level Concourse Design

Design: Grimshaw architects

London Bridge Station Street Level Concourse by Grimshaw

The design team working on London Bridge Station – Arcadis, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff JV and architect Grimshaw, working for main contractor Costain – are celebrating the successful delivery of the second stage of the programme today, with two thirds of the street level concourse and three new through track platforms opened.

One of the most complex and ambitious rail station redevelopments in the UK to date, the transformation of London Bridge Station – part of Network Rail’s Thameslink Programme – requires the team to design a safe change from six through and nine terminus platforms to nine through and six terminus, without causing major disruption to passengers.

The development also requires a considered design that will accommodate a significant increase in passenger numbers, and acknowledges the station’s iconic status as a key transport hub, both in scale and within its unique heritage location.

Having opened on Monday 29th August, the new 9,200 sq m concourse will help to ease passenger flow and includes clear visual and spatial connections to platforms and surrounding routes. The latest changes involve opening three through platforms and a significant proportion of the street level concourse with train services from Charing Cross now stopping at the station again and Canon Street services running through non-stop.

The station concourse provides a new civic space for London, connecting previously disparate areas in the north and south. The space improves access through the station and links with the newly created entrance on St Thomas Street, creating a unified station connected to neighbouring sites such as the Shard and other new developments.

The success of the ambitious redevelopment programme, which is running to schedule, is down to a complex staging process. This involves demolishing the old platforms and the arches below and then progressively reconfiguring the tracks to construct the new station in nine stages, each stage of which must come into service before the next stage can commence. Through pre-fabrication and a modular approach to construction, the design team has ensured the station remains fully operational while works take place.

Adrian Tooth, Design Director at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff explains: “The last few months have seen a number of significant milestones for the design and construction teams. The move of station staff to their new accommodation in midMay along with transfer of the full operation of the station to the new Integrated Station Control Room, opening of the Service Yard at the beginning of August and finally culminating in the opening of the new through platforms and a large proportion of the new street level concourse. This now gives the travelling public a real feel for the significant improvements to the station we have been working on over the last 4 years. I am very proud of the achievements of our team.”

James Dessain, Project Leader at Arcadis said: “This project offers a prime example of what can be achieved through collaboration. It was let on a collaborative basis and this ethos has continued throughout a complex design phase. This has meant that, despite a number of changes, the construction is still following the base line programme, enabling us to deliver the second stage as planned. This would not have been possible without all parties working as one, with a successful project outcome the number one priority.”

Mark Middleton, Partner at Grimshaw has said, “London Bridge Station is an iconic site both within the city’s urban fabric and its busy transport network. It’s great to see passengers using the new concourse and platforms for the first time, being guided through a station that is becoming more unified and easy to navigate with each passing milestone. The team’s vision for the redevelopment is transforming the surrounding quarter, connecting communities in the north and south, and keeping London moving. We are now looking to the finish line ahead of the official opening of the station in 2018.”

The next major stage opening will be the completion of the station in January 2018, cementing its status as a vital node in the capital’s busy transport network and continuing to be a catalyst in the regeneration of the London Bridge Quarter.