THREE out of four passengers are in support of Network Rail Property’s new plans to make Liverpool Street station future fit. The station, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, now connects over 100 million people a year, a figure which is forecasted to grow to 140 million a year by 2050.

The new plans focus on transforming the current customer experience. From increasing the size of the concourse of the mainline station and the overcrowded Tube ticket hall to improving step-free access to all main line rail and Tube platforms.

In a widespread public consultation, nearly 250,000 people engaged with the plans and over 1,800 station users have responded with comments. The new plans were drawn up in response to objections to the original proposal.

Robin Dobson, Group Property Director for Network Rail Property, commented:

“We have listened and acted upon extensive feedback from the public, from passengers and from wider stakeholders. Our new proposals have had an overwhelmingly positive response which is fantastic news for the hundreds of millions of people who want to continue using one of the world’s great stations.

“It’s a vote of confidence in our approach to restore the station’s status as world leading. To regenerate our facilities and deal with inadequate capacity, both of which continue to frustrate our passengers.

“With such a complex project and with multiple stakeholders, there will always be objections, but the overwhelming response has been it’s time to get on with making Liverpool Street station the best it can be. That’s why this support from passengers is crucial to us. It’s from the people who use the station day in, day out, week in, week out. We will of course continue to review all the comments in detail before submitting an application.”

Through the public consultation, station users were asked to give their opinions on their top priorities:

82% agreed with the plans for step-free access to the station
“Accessibility needs to be at the heart of the changes. It’s a very busy station and often if feels like disabled people’s needs are forgotten,” Ellie, Chelmsford.

77% said yes to new lifts to make overground trains and the London Underground more accessible
“Long overdue. Patients for Great Ormond Street Hospital coming into the station are unable to continue their journey by tube due to no lift or flat access,” Jules, Colchester.

75% gave the thumbs up to new toilets including family facilities on every level
“I’ve used Liverpool Street with a child in a wheelchair and I had to carry him downstairs to use the toilet as the ground floor toilets had a queue of over 20 people. More space is desperately needed,” Julian, Norwich.

63% said getting better signage from the station and making buses easier to find was a top priority
“Reduce the need to walk so much within the station by adding better routes or signage to all areas including the streets,” Anjani, Broadgate, London

The majority of people agreed that the development plans should respect the Victorian features, including the original trainshed and the former Great Eastern Hotel but this should not be at the expense of much needed passenger improvements.

Transformation plans

The cost of making Liverpool Street station future fit will run into the hundreds of millions of pounds. The majority of the investment will be covered by the private sector through the introduction of new office space at the station.

The plans to transform Liverpool Street station include:

8 new lifts to make platforms and the London Underground more accessible
Increasing the number of escalators from 4 to 8 to enable easier access to the trains  
More ticket barriers to reduce queuing and additional waiting lounges
New toilets, including family facilities on all levels of the station to bring much needed relief to travellers
New landmark entrances on Liverpool Street, Bishopsgate and Exchange Square.
The departure board, which hangs above the concourse at a right angle to the platforms, will be removed and replaced with a line of smaller boards above each platform entrance making it much easier for people to find onward connections.
More cycle storage with direct access to platforms 
A greater variety of cafes, restaurants and shops 
ACME is working with Network Rail Property to bring forward new proposals for Liverpool Street station. The new scheme is based on a thorough understanding of the operational needs of the station and its historic significance.

Frederich Ludewig, Founding Director, ACME, said:  

“We are delighted to be part of this monumental design challenge to create a world-class transport gateway in the City of London. Working with Network Rail Property, we are creating a transport hub that will work for the city and all Londoners.” 

About the consultation

The public consultation has involved: opinion research, focus groups, a series of in-station pop-up consultations and ‘Meet the team’ events, where the architects and the project team took members of the public on tours around the station to explain the plans. An online public webinar was also hosted where attendees could ask questions of the architects, Network Rail project leaders and heritage consultants.

Multiple stakeholder workshops including online and in-person meetings with accessibility and heritage groups have also taken place to get feedback on the proposed new plans to inform the design process going forward.

Station users have embraced the new plans:

“It astounds me that there is a distinct lack of ramps of lifts for people with suitcases connecting to Stansted Airport let alone people with accessible concerns or prams,” Laura, Colchester. 

“This plan seems much better, the concourse remains open air and spacious and the replacement to the 1980s/90s recreation of the Victorian shed is much more pleasing than the jarring previous version,” Fred, Carshalton.

“By all means respect the history of the station, but not at the cost of failing to make it an incredible place for the future. Crack on and get it done,” Richard, Chelmsford 

“I much prefer this plan over the previous iteration. I like that the supporting structure for the towers inside the station blends well and heightens the architecture of the train shed. I also really like the new design for the retail units. It makes them much more open and inviting for station users,” Jonathan, Tower Hamlets.