Morgan Sindall has been awarded a £22 million roof renewal contract of the UK’s busiest station.
The Infrastructure business has been appointed by Network Rail to upgrade the roof panels and drainage system at London Liverpool Street station.
The contract includes:
- replacement of the life-expired GRP (glass reinforced plastic) panels at the northern end of the trainshed
- replacement/repair of more than 600 Georgian panels and fittings over the southern end of the trainshed and concourse roof
- repair of the aluminium sheeting across the whole roof
- improvement to the roof’s catchment and drainage system
- repair/restoration of the valance panels on the end of the trainshed roof
A large area of the roof is covered in lichen growth which allows very little light to enter the Victorian trainshed – these lichen cover panels over Platforms 1-10.
The roof also needs to be resilient to changing and intense weather, allowing rainwater to drain away without overwhelming the drainage system.
Timeline
The improvements will start to be delivered from Christmas 2024, using a sliding works platform suspended under the roof spans and operated from Bishopgate’s Exchange Square.
The station will be closed to all services from 25 December 2024 to 1 January 2025 to begin work to renew the shed roof panels, add more ticket gates for Platforms 1-10, and work within Bishopsgate tunnel.
The roof renewal work is currently expected to be completed by end of 2026.
“We are delighted to have been awarded this scheme, to refresh and improve the resilience of the roof at Liverpool Street station,” said Morgan Sindall Infrastructure managing director for rail, Olivia Perkins.
“In planning the works we have aimed to put passengers first, working closely with Network Rail and key stakeholders, and learning from previous schemes, to develop a methodology that will minimise the impact to station users.
“We are pleased to be getting underway.”
Revised plans
Network Rail just launched a consultation on revised plans to redevelop London Liverpool Street station, as the scope for its development is scaled back.
Previous £1.5 billion plans, submitted in 2023, were lodged by Shard developer Sellar, transport operator MTR, and Network Rail.
However, the scheme generated significant objection from heritage organisations.
Was this interesting? Try: Unnamed global investor to take stake in JRL Group
If you have a tip or story idea that fits with our publication, please contact the news editor rory@wavenews.co.uk
Get industry news in 5 minutes!
A daily email that makes industry news enjoyable. It’s completely free.