02.01.18
London Bridge opens ‘huge’ new concourse following Christmas works
London Bridge station has reopened today following 10 days of major engineering work.
The final section of the station’s large new concourse and its final five platforms have opened for the first time, allowing Cannon Street trains to resume calling at the station.
The new concourse, which is larger than Wembley’s football pitch, joins all 15 platforms for the first time, making London’s oldest station fully accessible for the 50 million passengers that use it each year.
The tracks through and around the station have been re-modelled to modernise the infrastructure, allowing more trains to travel through London, which Network Rail says will reduce delays and bring more reliable journeys to more destinations than ever.
Work on the station’s £1bn upgrade first began in 2013 as part of the government-sponsored Thameslink Programme, and is expected to continue on the concourse until spring, and throughout 2018 shops, cafes and leisure facilities will open.
Mark Carne, Network Rail’s chief executive, called the opening of the station a “shining example” of its investment in the railway.
He said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we transformed London Bridge into the modern transport hub it is today, with more trains to more destinations, connecting north-south London and beyond.”
Southeastern’s managing director, David Statham, described the opening of the concourse as a “milestone in the transformation of London Bridge and rail transport across London.”
He added that as a result of the work passengers will see new routes and more reliable Southeastern services, including new destinations which will connect communities between London and across Kent.
Charles Horton, chief executive officer at Govia Thameslink Railway, also said: “The work at London Bridge paves the way for the reintroduction of Thameslink services at the station and GTR’s modernisation of its train services.
“In May we’ll be introducing an exciting, new, expanded Thameslink network connecting new communities north and south of the capital with quicker journeys across central London and additional capacity.”
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