Changes are coming to London’s busiest railway station, officials have announced. Network Rails says the alterations to Liverpool Street will ‘make the passenger experience better’.
These include more ticket gates, new retail units and a new Greater Anglia ticket office on Platform 10. Works will begin this summer, as an additional 21 new automatic ticket gates (including four wide access gates) will be installed, serving Platforms 1-10.
London Liverpool Street is the busiest station in the UK, with 80.4 million journeys taking place in the past year. Bosses say passenger numbers have recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic, already exceeding the 2019 numbers by 16 per cent.
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These are expected to continue to increase, adding to the existing congestion at busy times when passengers often have to queue at the ticket barriers. Network Rail says, currently, hundreds of passengers can be ‘frustrated and inconvenienced’ by having to wait to pass through the existing 36 ticket gates serving Platforms 1-10 at busy times.
Increased capacity at gate line
Increasing capacity of the gate line by 58 per cent is expected to ease congestion and reduce wait time for passengers, helping them complete their journey more quickly. The new ticket gates will be installed in stages with all new gates in place by spring 2025.
To make room for the new ticket gates, five existing retail units on the gate line will be removed in stages by the end of 2024. Space for three new retail units will be re-provided.
The new retail units will be situated in the area of the existing, staffed Greater Anglia ticket office, which will be relocated on Platform 10, planned to open later in the year. A staffed ticket office will remain open and available for passengers for the majority of relocation work.
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