A £22 million upgrade to Liverpool Street Station, the UK’s busiest train station, has been completed. The project, awarded to Morgan Sindall Infrastructure in 2024, involved the installation of new roof panels, making the station brighter.
The old, discoloured, and lichen-covered glazing panels on the Victorian trainshed over platforms 1-10 were removed, and new ones were installed. This change has resulted in significantly higher light levels, with average readings between 11 and 56 times higher than before the work started.
Improvements to the Station
The project also included the replacement of 770 glass panels over the concourse and major drainage improvements across the roof. New guttering and increased capacity to carry away rainwater were added to minimize leaks onto the station below.
Engineers restored the decorative timber valance at the end of the trainshed to its original design, which was installed when the station was first constructed in 1874. More than 800 timber slats were restored or newly crafted at a workshop in Bristol before being put back.
Reaction to the Upgrade
Martin Beable, Chief Operating Officer for GBR Anglia, said, “This project has lit up our previously dingy trainshed, delivering a major improvement for passengers while keeping disruption to a minimum.” He added that Liverpool Street is Britain’s busiest station and one of the rail network’s most historic and iconic landmarks, and it now has a roof to do it justice.
Although the work involved some limited station closures, disruption was kept to a minimum through the use of innovative sliding scaffolding decks high above the ground. This allowed the majority of work to take place during normal operating hours, and the suspended decks eliminated the need for scaffolding on the concourse and platforms.
The station recorded 98,015,658 passenger entries and exits during the 2024-25 financial year. Earlier this year, campaigners called on people to write to the Mayor of London, urging him to refuse a mooted £1.2 billion project at Liverpool Street, which has been approved by the City of London.
Future Plans
Network Rail says it will “transform London Liverpool Street for the generations to come.” The Victorian Society argued that the changes would “involve extensive demolition of the historic station”, and “would cause serious and irreversible harm to the station and its setting, alongside years of disruption for passengers”.