We’re using an innovative scaffolding system to help with extensive roof repairs at the busiest railway station in Britain. And it’s all for minimal disruption to your journeys.
Mobile scaffolding
We’re refurbishing the Victorian roof shed above platforms one to 10 at London Liverpool Street station. This involves replacing all the old glazing panels with 11,000 metres-squared of glass-reinforced plastic panels.
And we’ve worked with industry partners Morgan Sindall, Palmers Scaffolding, RDG engineering, Deltaland and Tony Gee to use a unique mobile scaffolding system to help us do this.
The system differs from traditional scaffolding, which is usually built vertically upwards. Instead, the mobile scaffolding system involves four lightweight decks that slide horizontally through the station towards the concourse roof – making use of the empty ceiling space and the outdoors.
The mobile decks allow our engineers to work on and repair multiple sections of the roof while the station stays open, and operations continue as normal. We’re planning to begin moving the decks in April. We’ll move each deck every one to two weeks as we work on different sections.
Less disruption to your journeys
A big benefit of this system is that it causes much less disruption to your journeys. It hangs from the empty space above rather than using much-needed ground space – allowing you to use the station as normal much of the time.
This is essential for Britain’s busiest station. Last year, more than 95 million people passed through the station – and we expect passenger numbers to rise.
More time and cost efficient
The lightweight sliding decks also use far less material than traditional scaffolding, making them considerably more cost-effective. The system is less than half the cost of traditional scaffolding.
The mobile system was also much faster to install, saving us about three to six months of time. It also allows our teams to work faster, reducing the length of the work by more than 12 months.
Jonathan Fernandez, a programme integration and delivery manager at Network Rail, said: “I’m immensely proud of the teams and our suppliers for working closely to achieve a solution that really does have the minimum impact on our customers whilst allowing us to deliver significant well needed improvements to the station.”
A brighter and lighter roof
The work we’re doing on the roof is vital part of our upgrade plan – designed to give you a better station experience.
The old glazing panels above platforms one to 10 have become covered in lichen over the years, blocking out a lot of the daylight. Replacing these panels will allow more natural light through – making the station brighter and more comfortable inside.
Another issue with the old roof panels is that sections of these leak and let water onto the platforms below – particularly during heavy rain. Our work will cut out the leaks, improving safety and cleanliness.
We’ll also upgrade the Victorian drainage system above to help it cope better with very heavy rainfall and make us more resilient to climate change. And we’re replacing over 600 broken panels on the roof above the concourse area of the station to further upgrade it.
Read about our wider programme of upgrades London Liverpool Street here.
