The new London Bridge Station designs revealed
Well done to SE1 for getting the first images of the new London Bridge Station. While not as funkily futuristic as the spiraling ziggurat of the previous design, which included an office complex, we like this one a lot, especially the street level access at Tooley Street.
London Bridge is the last of the great London stations to get rebuilt and its disjointed layout desperately needs radical changes. Thameslink, which will create more cross-London services, necessitated a makeover.
On the south side, work is already well-advanced on the new bus interchange.
The complex, five year construction project, is planned to get underway fully in 2013 and is scheduled to be completed in 2018. Features and benefits include:
- A new concourse at street level, with entrances on Tooley Street and St Thomas Street. As well as improving access to the station, this will help continue the regeneration of the surrounding area by better connecting north and south
- The concourse will be filled with natural light, that will come through the canopies that will cover the platforms above, making a more pleasant environment for passengers
- Step-free access to all platforms from the main concourse, making the station easier to use – especially for people with reduced mobility, or those with luggage or small children
- Space for around two thirds more passengers than use the station today
- An increase in the number of tracks going through the station from six to nine and a reduction from nine to six in the number of terminating platforms. This will enable eighteen of the planned 24 Thameslink services per hour to call at London Bridge
