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Monday 5 Oct 2026

Job done: roof refurbishment brings brighter journeys to Britain’s busiest station

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

At the start of Customer Service Week, GBR Anglia is announcing the completion of a major project at London Liverpool Street which is bringing brighter journeys to passengers.

Over the last two years, engineers have replaced all the glazing panels above platforms 1-10, which were old, discoloured and covered in lichen. In total, the glazing spans an area of 11,000m², equivalent to 8.8 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The old panels blocked out a lot of natural light, which is now flooding back into the station’s original Victorian trainshed through the refurbished roof.

In meter readings taken by the project team, average light levels on platforms 1-10 were between 11 and 56 times higher than before work started, improving passenger experience and bringing the heritage architecture to life for a new generation of commuters.

Timelapse – replacement of glazing panels

The project also involved targeted replacement of 770 glass panels over the concourse, alongside major drainage improvements across the roof, including new guttering and significantly increased capacity to carry away rainwater. This work will minimise leaks onto the station below, keeping everyone moving safely and reliably, while also strengthening resilience to the challenges of a changing climate.

In addition, engineers carried out a full restoration of the decorative timber valance at the end of the trainshed, to the same design as was installed when the station was first constructed in 1874. Over 800 timber slats were restored or newly crafted at a workshop in Bristol and were then put back on the trainshed. As part of a painstaking process, each slat was individually numbered so it could be reinstalled in exactly the right place. The valance had been deteriorating before the project began, but is now back to its former glory, helping to improve the station’s appearance amongst the other buildings in the City of London.

The project was delivered by Network Rail’s contractor, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure. Although the work involved some limited station closures, disruption was kept to a minimum through the use of innovative sliding scaffolding decks high above the ground, which allowed the majority of work to take place during normal operating hours. The suspended decks also eliminated the need for scaffolding on the concourse and platforms, meaning that the project didn’t get in the way of passengers.

Martin Beable, Chief Operating Officer for GBR Anglia, said: “This project has lit up our previously dingy trainshed, delivering a major improvement for passengers while keeping disruption to a minimum. Liverpool Street is Britain’s busiest station and one of the rail network’s most historic and iconic landmarks. It now has a roof to do it justice.”

GBR Anglia brings c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia together under one unified leadership team as part of the wider journey towards Great British Railways. The three organisations are increasingly planning and delivering as one railway, and will be showcasing some examples of colleagues delivering for passengers during Customer Service Week.

The roof refurbishment at London Liverpool Street follows the completion of a project last year to install 21 new ticket gates between platforms 1-10, delivered by contractor Spence. Engineers created space for the extra ticket gates by removing the retail units that used to sit along the platform 1-10 gateline. The additional capacity has substantially improved passenger flow, minimising crowding, making journeys smoother and helping to keep everyone safe.

The gateline work also boosted accessibility at the station, with engineers converting five existing manual wide gates to automatic. Overall, the number of ticket gates between platforms 1-10 has gone from 36 to 57, representing an increase of 58%.

Upgrade work is continuing, including the replacement of around 450 speakers to improve the audio quality of announcements over the public address system.

The roof project team will remain on site to finish demobilising over the coming weeks.