Media centre

Tuesday 9 Nov 2010

WEST HAMPSTEAD THAMESLINK: CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON NEW STATION BUILDING

Region & Route:

| Southern

Construction on West Hampstead Thameslink’s new station building is now fully under way with work set to be complete in just over 12 months.

The new building on Iverson Road will increase passenger capacity, ease congestion and improve the interchange with West Hampstead Overground and Underground stations. It will also link into and complete the new footbridge, with lifts to all platforms.

Tim Galvani, Network Rail project manager for West Hampstead, said: "Our plans for West Hampstead Thameslink station will benefit passengers, residents and the wider area. Once complete, both the station and station approach will be more spacious, brighter and safer."

Michelle Smart, customer services director of First Capital Connect which manages West Hampstead station, said: "Every day our passengers struggle to get in and out of West Hampstead station by the single, crowded entrance. We have no proper home for our ticket office, no ticket gates to improve security, and no lifts to the platforms.

"This new station being delivered by Network Rail as part of the Thameslink Programme will make a massive difference to the thousands who use our services every day., creating a modern station the community deserves."

As part of its commitment to deliver value for money, Network Rail agreed to revisit designs for the station building. Whilst the outline design of the scheme remains unchanged - the scheme retains all the essential benefits of a new widened walkway, spacious station building and easier interchange between stations - significant cost savings have been achieved through changes to construction methods and materials.

In particular, residents will benefit from the decision to deliver construction materials by rail rather than road, limiting the number of road closures and lorry traffic during construction. A silent piling method will also be used to minimise noise impact. The result is a new station building that will be complete by December 2011.

Mr Galvani continued: "As with any major project, we’re constantly reviewing the Thameslink Programme to ensure it delivers value for money. By re-phasing our construction schedule at West Hampstead we’ve been able to reduce the final cost of the project and minimise disruption to residents further still with new ways of working."