London Bridge

THE rebuilt London Bridge station was officially opened by HRH Prince William the Duke of Cambridge on May 9, at a ceremony also attended by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and Network Rail Chief Executive Mark Carne.

The event marked the completion of a five-year scheme that adds 30% more connections for passengers and almost doubles the capacity, with the station able to accommodate up to 96 million passengers per year.

The project involved creating dedicated platforms for Thameslink services - there are now nine through platforms and six terminus platforms, whereas before there were six through platforms and nine terminus platforms.

Britain’s fourth busiest station is also London’s oldest. The station is also home to the largest street-level station concourse in the country (large enough for the Shard to be laid horizontally inside, according to Network Rail). It is the first time since the station was built that passengers can reach all the platforms from one concourse.

“Today, we are indebted to the thousands of men and women who have built a modern, accessible and iconic station fit for London’s future,” said Grayling.

Carne added: “This station has been rebuilt from its Victorian foundations upwards by a team of engineers, while still providing a service for the 48 million people who use the station ever year.”

He said the station “represents a transformation in passenger experience, a catalyst for economic growth and a world first in the use of Digital Railway technology, demonstrating our vision of the future”.

Public access is now possible through entrances on all four points of the compass, and more than 80 new shops, cafes and restaurants have opened, which NR said makes the station a destination in its own right. These have created “hundreds of jobs” and boosted the economies of Bermondsey and Southwark, NR said.

NR Managing Director Network Rail Property David Biggs added: “The project not only modernises a vital transport hub, it creates a new focal point on the South Bank that boasts more retail units than any other NR-managed station.”

The London Bridge work involved remodelling and resignalling all tracks that served the station. This included 128 track stages and nine signalling changes. Thirty-five bridge structures were strengthened, and 147 new switches and crossings were installed, as was more than 25 miles of new track.

NR said minor finishing works continue on the Tooley Street entrance, but these are due to finish in June.

JACK BOSKETT. HRH Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, watched by Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE, unveils a plaque at the official opening ceremony of London Bridge.

JACK BOSKETT. JACK BOSKETT. The lower concourse at London Bridge. For the first time since it opened, passengers are able to use one concourse to reach all 15 of the station’s platforms. Govia Thameslink Railway 700008 stands at London Bridge on May 9. The ‘700’ is using one of two new platforms built specifically for Thameslink.