A MASSIVE expansion of the UK’s biggest train station has finally been given the green light after years of controversy.
London Liverpool Street Station welcomes nearly as many as 100million passengers a year.
However, for years there have been plans to upgrade some of the station’s dated features as well as make it larger after record passenger numbers.
And the City of London Corporation has now approved plans for the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station.
It confirmed that it would “improve central London’s connectivity to the rest of the country [and] make the local area a much more enjoyable place to visit, work in and travel through.”
The new plans – predicted to cost £1.2billion – include more shops and cafes, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and parks.
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More office spaces will be part of a new 318ft tower block being built over the main concourse.
Upgraded facilities such as more ticket barriers, lifts, escalators and toilets, and wider train platforms, are also part of the plans.
It hopes it will eventually double in capacity, with up to 200million passengers.
It won’t be anytime soon, however – works could start by 2029, and be finished by 2036.
Chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transportation Committee, Tom Sleigh, said: “Everyone likes an upgrade, and this astonishing improvement to Britain’s busiest train station is just that; a major improvement by every measure.
“The soaring Brick arches and bold architecture will cement Liverpool Street’s status as a modern temple to transport.”
Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, added: “This redevelopment of Liverpool Street station is a major step forward for the Square Mile.”
If the proposals go ahead, work would start at the beginning of 2029 and last seven years, with the new station completed by mid-2036.
The long-discussed plans have caused controversy in the past, with previous plans even including a rooftop pool although this has now been scrapped.
And there are fears that the upgrade works could cause a “decade of chaos” due to closed platforms.
This would affect passengers travelling to airports like London Stansted, as well as those using the Elizabeth Line.
London Liverpool Street Station is the UK’s busiest, recording a record 98million passengers from 2024/25.
In second is London Waterloo, which has nearly 28million fewer passengers.
It’s not the only huge train station expanding – London St Pancras plans to double passenger numbers to 60million.
The station is home to the Eurostar, and will eventually welcome Virgin’s European trains when they launch as well.
And here’s a large train station in the UK that was inspired by Italy – and has been named one of the best.