London Bridge reconstruction works

[KingJ]

Another M&S food has now opened up in the Western Arcade, at the tube end. They've managed to fit quite a bit in there too.

The Western Arcade itself is still a bit of a work in progress - at the station end one third is closed off until Hamleys. A different third is closed off from the toilets down to the Tube. As a result, the middle third tends to be very busy during the peaks!

 

[BelleIsle]

“The horror!”

Something akin to the Betjeman at St Pancras would be preferable.

 

[ijmad]

Something akin to the Betjeman at St Pancras would be preferable.

The Shipwrights Arms could fill that niche if it wasn't for the supposedly insane owner.

 

[Mikey C]

It's rumoured one may open in the exterior-facing arches on Tooley Street. Plus a McDonalds, and an Honest Burger, I believe.

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/9580

Yes, it's effectively a late replacement for the curiously sited (but rather handy) one that used to be in Guy's Hospital!

 

[SECR263]

If any staffers are reading this, you need to get rid of the Thameslink services from the departure boards of the low level platforms. There are only about 10 and they're filled with Thameslink, leaving Southern with room for only a few departures.

I visited London Bridge yesterday. The 14 departure screens by Plats 12 to 15 are now blank but have been replaced by 11 in the middle of the circulating area. There is now no "fastest train to panel" and 3 panels have been lost. The Thames link departure screens on the platforms seem a backward step being black and white (?) and they are not as easily readable at a distance compared to the yellow matrix screens on other platforms suck as 8/9 etc on the "high level". A backward step I think as are many other "innovations at LB" such as the single escalators on some platforms, the staff lift etc. I do miss the bank of 4 escalators that used to be on the low level side that took you down to the old arcade and a short walk to the tube rather than the now long trudge.

 

[FOH]

Here’s an example from Monday illustrating my point

71B0AF3C-3793-4CCF-9A7D-AA5BAFDF90C4

• FOH
• 12 Jul 2018

 

[SAPhil]

The Shipwrights Arms could fill that niche if it wasn't for the supposedly insane owner.

What do you mean?

 

[ijmad]

What do you mean?

Check out some of the low star Google reviews. Sounds like a total nutjob.

 

[FOH]

May - July, depending on how quick and reliable the shop fit out boys are.

Into August now, the outside is still a building site while there’s little evidence of fit out going on in the bars and restaurants. Just lots of advertising that the station is London’s newest shopping destination.

 

[Bald Rick]

That’s funny, as I was there 20 minutes ago and the Greggs fit out team were there. And the outside is a lot better than it was 6 weeks ago.

But you are right, it isn’t finished.

 

[ijmad]

A lot of the work storage areas out front have disappeared lately, they're even rebuilding a bus stand where one has been for about 2 years. Doesn't seem like there's a great deal to do beyond repaving now.

 

[FOH]

For a station officially opened in May

 

[coppercapped]

For a station officially opened in May

Opened does not mean completed...

 

[ijmad]

For a station officially opened in May

Yeah. I'm fairly sure these works were supposed to all be finished now. They've still got equipment in the lower concourse for fiddling with the panelling.

 

[FOH]

Opened does not mean completed...

Good to see the apologists in action. The rebuild has been ongoing for over 6 years. How long is reasonable? There are 16 seats to sit on for a major London terminus.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I visited London Bridge yesterday. The 14 departure screens by Plats 12 to 15 are now blank but have been replaced by 11 in the middle of the circulating area. There is now no "fastest train to panel" and 3 panels have been lost.

You mean the 'fastest train to' panel underneath the Charing Cross platforms has gone? I was sure it was there a couple of days ago when I passed through.

On a related note... last week I used the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras, and couldn't help noticing how beautifully clear and easy to read the platform departure screens there were: No crude dot-matrix letters, just very sharp and clear text (I'm guessing, the screens use much smaller pixel sizes). The screens inside the new Thameslink trains are similarly very good quality, although obviously smaller. Couldn't London Bridge have been fitted out with similar quality screens during the rebuild? I'm sure they would have been vastly better for passengers.

 

[KingJ]

You mean the 'fastest train to' panel underneath the Charing Cross platforms has gone? I was sure it was there a couple of days ago when I passed through.

On a related note... last week I used the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras, and couldn't help noticing how beautifully clear and easy to read the platform departure screens there were: No crude dot-matrix letters, just very sharp and clear text (I'm guessing, the screens use much smaller pixel sizes). The screens inside the new Thameslink trains are similarly very good quality, although obviously smaller. Couldn't London Bridge have been fitted out with similar quality screens during the rebuild? I'm sure they would have been vastly better for passengers.

The Thameslink platforms at London Bridge have been fitted with this style of screen too, and I agree they are much more readable and information-dense than the regular dot-matrix displays. Presumably there's a backend limitation that prevents them from being used more widely outside the Thameslink core for the moment.

 

[mmh]

You mean the 'fastest train to' panel underneath the Charing Cross platforms has gone? I was sure it was there a couple of days ago when I passed through.

On a related note... last week I used the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras, and couldn't help noticing how beautifully clear and easy to read the platform departure screens there were: No crude dot-matrix letters, just very sharp and clear text (I'm guessing, the screens use much smaller pixel sizes). The screens inside the new Thameslink trains are similarly very good quality, although obviously smaller. Couldn't London Bridge have been fitted out with similar quality screens during the rebuild? I'm sure they would have been vastly better for passengers.

London Bridge has exactly the same screens on the Thameslink platforms as St Pancras. The other through plaforms have a very good variation of the usual orange LED signs with the remarkably good idea of displaying the next two trains scrolling underneath. They're excellent. The terminal platforms have the usual orange display showing the current train.

 

[Agent_Squash]

They’re being rolled out across some Northern stations - it hooks into Darwin.

 

[Barn]

London Bridge has exactly the same screens on the Thameslink platforms as St Pancras. The other through plaforms have a very good variation of the usual orange LED signs with the remarkably good idea of displaying the next two trains scrolling underneath. They're excellent. The terminal platforms have the usual orange display showing the current train.

London Bridge (and probably other stations too) have two of these screens sat next to each other. It seems that sometimes they show different information (i.e. left screen shows first train, right train shows subsequent train(s)) whereas at other times they just duplicate each other.

I'm not sure if they've fixed it yet, but platform 2 had a pair of its orange signs hung back to front, so they didn't match the other platforms. (Had the screen on the outside and number on the inside, I think). Only a tiny snag, but sticks out once you notice it. Will have to see if it's still like that.

 

[InOban]

I suppose they'll have to wait until winter to find out if they've cured the leaks...

 

[ijmad]

When is Stainer Street set to reopen?

 

[Barn]

When is Stainer Street set to reopen?

Can't be too far off. There are some big decorative features now up in its roof at the entrance from Tooley Street.

 

[ijmad]

Can't be too far off. There are some big decorative features now up in its roof at the entrance from Tooley Street.

Yeah, the hoardings seem to be quietly receding inside the station too.

 

[KingJ]

There's a few Notices of Application for a Premises Licence in the Western Arcade now for "The Grind" in Unit Su-82. The licence conditions are;

• Sale of alcohol from 07:00 to Midnight daily.
• Provision of late-night refreshments from 23:00 to Midnight daily. (this seems like an odd one but I have no idea what's typical for licencing conditions!).
• Recorded music from 05:30 to Midnight daily.

However, looking on the map Unit 82 seems to be the furthest possible away unit out on St. Thomas Street - so likely not much use to any disruption-weary travellers wanting to wait things out!

 

[Mikey C]

There's a few Notices of Application for a Premises Licence in the Western Arcade now for "The Grind" in Unit Su-82. The licence conditions are;

• Sale of alcohol from 07:00 to Midnight daily.
• Provision of late-night refreshments from 23:00 to Midnight daily. (this seems like an odd one but I have no idea what's typical for licencing conditions!).
• Recorded music from 05:30 to Midnight daily.

However, looking on the map Unit 82 seems to be the furthest possible away unit out on St. Thomas Street - so likely not much use to any disruption-weary travellers wanting to wait things out!

http://grind.co.uk/blog/london-bridge-station

That seems to be a trendy coffee shop/restaurant/bar.

 

[ijmad]

http://grind.co.uk/blog/london-bridge-station

That seems to be a trendy coffee shop/restaurant/bar.

Used to be my coffee shop of choice in Holborn. It's quite nice, although they do tend to play music, not at an obnoxious level, but at a level that keeps out the business meetings and people on long phone calls (which I'd argue is quite nice). Some of the other Grind locations do beer and wine in the evenings, I guess they will be doing the same at London Bridge.

 

[tsr]

A few teething troubles seem to have hit the retail outlets on the main lower concourse. Pret was closed on several occasions during the heatwave due to the shop becoming uninhabitable due to high temperatures plus equipment failures. I see it now has a big aircon unit or two, and rather more cheerful staff as a result, so should survive what remains of summer...

Greggs has been advertised and undergoing shopfitting for absolutely ages now. It was meant to open “in the summer”, the meaning of which is anyone’s guess really.

As for the trains, the operation of the railway station itself seems to be going reasonably well. I didn’t see any big problems caused by the recent downpours, although doubtless a few things emerged. Passengers seem to be getting very well used to the escalators towards the middle of the terminating platforms as well. It’s now by no means unheard of for the Shard/buffers end of a train to be utterly empty, with everyone having crammed on towards the centre of the platform. Unless you work/travel to the St Thomas’s side of the station, or want to go to the Shard or Borough Market, the upper concourse is definitely the poor relation.

 

[387star]

Still some work going on platform 10

 

[ijmad]

They seem to be finally doing the paving outside the upper concourse. The last part before those hoardings come down I think?