On Tuesday, 10th February, the City of London’s planning committee granted approval for the redevlopment of London Liverpool Street station.

Since the station was last redeveloped in 1991, the number of customers passing through the station has increased by 300%. The redevelopment is designed to future-proof the station for decades to come by increasing capacity and creating a fully connected, accessible transport hub.

Liverpool Street station, which is Britain’s busiest, currently serves 118 million passengers a year, which is forecast grow to 158 million by 2041, which is well within the designed capacity of the redevelopment of more than 200 million people.

Included in the station’s improvements will be:

• A 76% increase in the overall capacity of the concourse, with a 23% increase in capacity of lower concourse to ease passenger flow and reduce congestion.
• Provision of step-free access from street level to all platforms, including all London Underground lines.
• An increase in lift capacity, from one four-person lift to eight large lifts.
• Six additional escalators@New accessible entrances and better signage, from Broadgate and Exchange Square, with easy access to buses, bike stores and taxis.
• Provision of toilets, including family facilities and Changing Places toilets, on all levels.

The design will safeguard Liverpool Street’s unique heritage, and there will be no changes to the Victorian train shed. Funding of the redevelopment will come from a new office building with a publicly accessible roof garden.

“This decision represents a key step towards the transformation of Britain’s busiest station and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Liverpool Street. Our plans focus on improving the everyday experience for passengers whilst respecting the station’s unique heritage. With annual passenger numbers forecast to grow to 158 million, this approval ensures the station will be future proofed for decades to come.”

Ellie Burrows, Managing Director for Network Rail’s Eastern region