Stations are the beginning and end to every journey on the railway.
Millions of you pass through them every year and we know it’s important that you feel welcomed and comfortable. We also understand that stations need to be accessible and easy to navigate and travel through.
That’s why we are improving many stations across the country to improve your journeys by making them more accessible and reducing congestion. Here are a few we have recently completed or are working on right now.
Bristol Temple Meads station improvements:
Bristol Temple Meads is our largest set of improvement works. Our aim is to bring a brighter welcome to the city and a better experience for you as part of our Bristol Rail Regeneration programme.
Our specialist teams are well underway with renovating the iconic station roof. We are grit-blasting away old paint and carrying out structural repairs. We will then repaint the roof with a protective coating to keep it fighting fit for the future.
Our teams will also completely rewire the station’s electrics. Our work will bring the overall power supply and lighting up to modern standards. This will enable further upgrades to information boards, CCTV and retail offerings in the station.
We have been installing tactile paving in addition to the roof renovating and rewiring. The new paving will improve accessibility and safety for those with visual impairments.
London Victoria station improvements:
We will begin work on improving London Victoria station this September.
We have experienced high levels of congestion at ticket gates which means it takes people longer to get on and off trains and platforms. This has had a knock-on effect by delaying services. To prevent this in the future, our teams will:
- increase the number of ticket gates from 86 to 116. This will include eight more wide accessible gates
- open up and expand the station concourse area that serves platforms 15-19
- create a spacious new thoroughfare between platform 14 and the existing escalators to the Victoria Place Shopping Centre.
Our improvements at London Victoria station will improve the punctuality of services and your safety by reducing overcrowding.
London Liverpool Street roof renewal:
We are currently renewing and refurbishing the 45-year-old Grade II Listed London Liverpool Street station roof in December 2021.
The roof covers platforms 1-10 and has recently suffered from leaks that have affected the concourse and retail areas.
Our teams will fully refurbish the rainwater drainage system, replace roof coverings and damaged glazing panels, plus a full redecoration of the heritage structure.
Our roof replacement means that you will be able to travel through a brighter and cleaner environment.
Oxford station revamp:
We are starting a huge improvement project at Oxford station from late September this year. We will upgrade the railway in Oxfordshire and the nearby road network. Our work will increase the number of passengers the station can serve and accommodate new services including freight. The project will also improve the accessibility of the station.
Our teams will:
- install new track and a platform alongside the existing platform 4 to increase capacity
- construct a new western entrance that will link the road to the platform via a subway, stairs and lift
- replace Botley Road bridge and lower the road to enable double-decker buses to pass underneath
- add a cycle and footpath on each side of the bridge to encourage sustainable transport
- introduce three new crossovers at Oxford North Junction to reduce journey times.
Illford station step-free access:
We have improved many stations as part of our Cross Rail project. Our teams recently made Ilford station step-free this September. The improvements have made it more accessible for those with mobility issues.
Our teams constructed a new and modern station entrance that is accessible from the street to platform via three new lifts.
We also constructed a new bright and spacious ticket hall with an improved gate line to reduce congestion into and out of the station. This is the most significant improvement project made to the station since its opening in 1839.
Improvements at other stations we have made throughout our Cross Rail project include:
- new and refurbished ticket halls, entrances and offices
- construction of lifts and footbridges
- adding new platforms and platform extensions
- a complete rebuild of the station at Abbey Wood in south-east London.
Read more:
This is just a glimpse into some of the improvements we are making to stations across the railway. For further information on the above and other improvement projects, please see below: