Network Rail has finished replacing glazing panels as part of its major roof refurbishment project at Liverpool Street, bringing lighter and brighter journeys to Britain’s busiest station.
The final cracked glass panels were replaced while the station was closed over five weekend days in March, with the main concourse becoming an exclusion zone so that the work could be completed safely overhead.
Engineers had earlier finished replacing the discoloured, lichen-covered panels above platforms 1-10. These span an area of 11,000m², which is the equivalent of 8.8 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In total, thousands of old panels have been swapped out over the last year.
Much more natural light is already flooding into the station, with the full effect to be seen once all the scaffolding is taken out. The new panels, along with drainage improvements across the roof, will also help to keep everyone moving safely by reducing leaks onto the concourse and platforms.
Network Rail also delivered extensive upgrades out on track during the March closure weekends to boost reliability for Greater Anglia, Stansted Express, Elizabeth line and London Overground Weaver line passengers. Making the most of the time when trains weren’t running, teams successfully:
- Improved track drainage at Liverpool Street and Harold Wood.
- Fixed overhead line faults at Liverpool Street and Shenfield.
- Made repairs to the underside of the road-over-rail bridge at Forest Gate station.
- Replaced worn-out track crossings at Stratford, Shenfield and Ingatestone.
- Replaced 1.5km of aging track at Ilford and Gidea Park.
- Dug out poor quality ballast and carried out overhead line maintenance at Cambridge Heath and Hackney Downs.
- Replaced old drainage pipes at Prittlewell, on the Southend Victoria line.
- Repacked ballast and improved track quality at various locations.
In addition, with Network Rail’s support, Transport for London delivered improvements at three Elizabeth line stations:
- Manor Park: roof replacement works, including removal of an asbestos canopy roof, and general maintenance to the main station building.
- Harold Wood: repairs to the structure of Platform 4.
- Manor Park, Harold Wood and Chadwell Heath: platform works, including adding more effective drainage, resurfacing, reinstating markings and replacing tactile paving.
Mark Walker, Network Rail Anglia infrastructure director, said: “We completed a huge amount of work over these March weekends that we simply couldn’t have got done during regular overnight maintenance. We’re really sorry for the disruption to services, but these upgrades will help us to deliver a better, brighter and more robust railway for passengers travelling to and from Britain’s busiest station.”
The Liverpool Street roof refurbishment project will continue this year, with works including continued drainage improvements, scaffolding removal and replacing the decorative wooden valance at the end of the trainshed after a full restoration. Network Rail’s contractor for the project is Morgan Sindall Infrastructure.
Image credit: Network Rail
