The work will include more ticket gates, new retail units and a new Greater Anglia ticket office on Platform 10.
Beginning this summer, Network Rail, together with its contractor, Spence, will begin to install an additional 21 new automatic ticket gates (including four wide access gates) serving Platforms 1-10.
London Liverpool Street is the busiest station in the UK with 80.4 million journeys. Passenger numbers have recovered since the pandemic, already exceeding the 2019 numbers by 16%, and are expected to continue to increase, adding to the existing congestion at busy times when passengers often have to queue at the ticket barriers.
Whether catching a train or trying to exit the station, hundreds of passengers can be frustrated and inconvenienced by having to wait to pass through the existing 36 ticket gates serving platforms 1-10 at busy times. Increasing capacity of the gateline by 58 percent will ease congestion and reduce wait time for passengers, helping them complete their journey more quickly. The new ticket gates will be installed in stages with all new gates in place by spring 2025.
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To make room for the new ticket gates, five existing retail units on the gateline will be removed in stages by the end of 2024. Space for three new retail units will be re-provided to continue to give great retail choices for passengers and customers using the station.
The new retail units will be situated in the area of the existing, staffed Greater Anglia ticket office, which will be relocated on Platform 10, planned to open later in the year. A staffed ticket office will remain open and available for the convenience of passengers for the majority of relocation work.
Lawrence Bowman, route director for Network Rail Anglia said: "It is so important that our managed station, the busiest in the UK, is able to cope with the increase in passenger numbers we’ve seen over the last few years. The current gateline simply does not have the capacity to quickly and efficiently allow passengers to move between platform and concourse easily, especially at busy times.
"Working with our contractor, Spence, and Greater Anglia, the station team, retailers and our property colleagues, we now have a robust programme of improvements that will allow us to tackle the congestion while continuing to provide the service we need to on a daily basis with minimal disruption to passengers."
