Media centre

Wednesday 13 Dec 2023

Stoke-on-Trent station’s glazing to get once in a generation overhaul

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

A major project to upgrade the large expanses of glazing at both ends of Stoke-on-Trent station will start this Christmas.

As part of a multi-million-pound investment, Network Rail will replace the glazed walls known as ‘gable ends’, which span 25-metres over the tracks on the North and South sides of the Victorian-built train shed.

Exposed to the elements for decades, over time the Grade II* listed wooden and wrought iron frames which are designed hold more than 200 glass panels, have started to deteriorate, leading to some of the glazing being removed in recent times.

Now, after many months of planning and consultation with heritage experts and consent from Stoke-on-Trent city council, work will start to fully replace the gable ends during the annual festive shutdown of the West Coast main line.

With no trains running on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, it’s the perfect time to turn off the 25,000-volt overhead electric lines which power trains, so scaffolding specialists can start covering both gable ends with a temporary work platform above the tracks.

This scaffolding is crucial as it will give the project team aerial access throughout 2024 to carry out the essential upgrades, while allowing freight and passenger trains to keep running as normal beneath the workers.

Completing this complex project while causing the least disruption possible to trains, on one of the busiest mixed-used passenger and freight rail routes in Europe, has been a major priority.

For that reason, both gable ends will being overhauled in one go, in a once in a generation opportunity to get them looking as good as new.

The work throughout 2024 will see:

• The timber frames replaced with Accoya wood, a specially treated timber which has a longer life-span that traditional softwood
• All 220 panes of glass replaced
• Cleaning, repairs and repainting of the wrought iron support frames of both gable ends
• Repositioning the overhead line supports which power trains to allow for the work to take place

The modern materials used have been agreed with the council and will match the look of the original Victorian features, but will be much more durable and last for decades with minimal maintenance needed.

The timber will be painted in heritage colours to match the rest of the station, with the work expected to be complete by autumn 2024.

Andrew Magee, Network Rail principal route engineer, said: “Stoke-on-Trent station is a beautiful example of Victorian railway architecture, so we’ve been working really hard to achieve a balance between maintaining the original visual appearance of the building whilst incorporating modern materials and construction techniques. This will ensure the new glazed gables remain functional and in top condition for years to come.  The original wooden-framed gables have been battered by the elements for many years, so now need a 21^st century solution to keep them protected.

“We worked closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s conservation teams to make sure our upgrade strikes that right balance. We’ll now get cracking with the renovations, and I’d like to thank passengers in advance for their patience while the scaffolding goes up over the coming months and we’re working above the trains to get the gable ends looking as good as new.”

Laura Harper, Avanti West Coast station manager at Stoke-on-Trent, said: “It’s great news that the station will be treated to a present of its own this Christmas with the beginning of renovation work to make the gable ends as good as new. Stoke-on-Trent has a rich railway history of which the station is a key part of, so we’re pleased it is being preserved to ensure it can be enjoyed for many more years. We would like to thank our customers in advance for their patience and understanding while Network Rail sympathetically restore this beautiful feature in keeping with the station’s heritage.”

Additional work in the New Year will also see the continuation of repairs to the historic stonework across the station building.

This follows on from the temporary removal of decorative stone ‘finials’ on the station roof in August 2022.

• Watch again: Drone footage shows Stoke station roof repairs

Scaffolding will start to be erected at other parts of the station for further repairs to be done throughout 2024.

While this won’t impact on the running of trains, passengers are advised that the look and feel of the station will be different while this essential building maintenance takes place.

For more on how Network Rail carries out work on its heritage estate, you can visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/our-history/working-with-railway-heritage/