Network Rail Property has submitted a revised application to redevelop London Liverpool Street station, after its original plans submitted in November 2024, were rejected.

Liverpool Street is Britain’s busiest station, and is currently used by 118 million people a year from across London, East Anglia and the east of England.

With annual passenger numbers are forecast to grow to 158 million by 2041, the plans have taken those figures into account to provide capacity for the station to accommodate over 200 million people in the future.

A public consultation on the plans resulted in nearly 2,000 responses, with three out of four supporting the proposals, the main priorities being:

• To make the station fully accessible with step-free access across the station.
• Increase the number of lifts and escalators to increase accessibility to both the mainline station and the London Underground.
• Provide new toilet facilities that include family-friendly spaces on every level.

Redevelopment will cost hundreds of millions of pounds, which private sector partnerships will fund by creating new office space above the station. Current plans include:

• Eight new lifts to Network Rail platforms and the London Underground.
• The number of escalators increased from four to ten.
• A larger concourse.
• Step-free access throughout the mainline station and London Underground.
• More ticket barriers.
• New toilets, including family facilities on all levels.
• New and redesigned entrances in Liverpool Street, Bishopsgate and Exchange Square, to reflect the station’s historic architecture
• Better signage.
• Increased cycle storage.
• More cafes, restaurants and shops.
• Redesign of the landscaping and benches around the Kindertransport statue.
• Provision of a dog-friendly area.

Network Rail is redeveloping many stations throughout the UK and has just started a year-long multi-million-pound project to redevelop Scarborough railway station in North Yorkshire.

The scheme’s architect, ACME, is working with Network Rail Property to progress the plans, which are based on a thorough understanding of the station’s operational needs and historic significance.

“Liverpool Street is one of London’s great Victorian stations and our proposals will make the station accessible, permeable and celebrate its function as the gateway into the City of London. We have embraced the challenge to design new entrances reflecting its position as the UK’s busiest train station, and roof structures that speak to the original 1875 structures and the 1990s extension. We are retaining the essential qualities of the existing station, celebrating elements that were previously hidden, creating sustainable new workplaces and providing spaces to expand into for generations to come. Liverpool Street station will become the world-class transport hub that the City of London and all Londoners deserve.”

Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director, ACME.