London Bridge reconstruction works

[ijmad]

Went on a little behind the scenes tour today. Here's some Platform 1 & entrance photos from behind the Great Wall of Costain.







Some tidbits:
- The Platform 1 roof will be finished in a few weeks time
- All of the escalators & stairs are now in place except for Platform 1's
- The last crane will be staying until near the end of the reconstruction
- The programme is more or less on schedule

In other news, a straight route is now open through the Western Arcade. All the way from the concourse to Joiner Street. It's only one set of arches wide rather than the eventual three, but certainly progress!

 

[SF-02]

And the service to the Greenwich line from that platform will be drastically worse than what existed before work begun!

 

[FOH]

And the service to the Greenwich line from that platform will be drastically worse than what existed before work begun!

Same for us all mate

 

[physics34]

A bit annoyed about the platform 10-16 escalators being set to the "descend" setting at various times especially in the evenings. Apparently its to even out the wear and tear but it not too useful for many people with luggage for a start (i know there is a lift available too.)

 

[ijmad]

A bit annoyed about the platform 10-16 escalators being set to the "descend" setting at various times especially in the evenings. Apparently its to even out the wear and tear but it not too useful for many people with luggage for a start (i know there is a lift available too.)

That reason sounds pretty suspect, given many escalators on London Underground spend their whole operational lives running in one direction...

 

[causton]

That reason sounds pretty suspect, given many escalators on London Underground spend their whole operational lives running in one direction...

They are probably built to a better different standard on the Underground.

I know Birmingham New Street has this, where the escalators run the opposite way at the weekends, or at least they did at one point!

 

[FOH]

They should set them to decend in the mornings, which they never do.

 

[ijmad]

They should set them to decend in the mornings, which they never do.

Recall someone mentioned earlier in the thread that the design intention was to run them in the peak flow direction, but Southern overrode that and decided they'd be always up.
... apparently except for 10pm on weekdays.

 

[physics34]

Recall someone mentioned earlier in the thread that the design intention was to run them in the peak flow direction, but Southern overrode that and decided they'd be always up.
... apparently except for 10pm on weekdays.

seems to be earlier than 10pm now

 

[Barn]

In other news, a straight route is now open through the Western Arcade. All the way from the concourse to Joiner Street. It's only one set of arches wide rather than the eventual three, but certainly progress!

What will be in that Western Arcade? Will it just be a thoroughfare or will there be shops / waiting areas in there?

 

[ijmad]

What will be in that Western Arcade? Will it just be a thoroughfare or will there be shops / waiting areas in there?

The arcade will eventually be three arches wide (what's been opened is just one arch wide).

There will be shops lining the route at either side in the barrel vaults they've spruced up. The shops will be of a pretty decent size. Up until last week when you were walking the 'maze' route they took you through one of them, so you get an idea.

Photos from the Network Rail redevelopment video attached that show the final look.

 

[FOH]

A sign at London Bridge low level says it's closed this weekend due to unexpected engineering works. Anyone know what's up?

 

[hwl]

The arcade will eventually be three arches wide (what's been opened is just one arch wide).

There will be shops lining the route at either side in the barrel vaults they've spruced up. The shops will be of a pretty decent size. Up until last week when you were walking the 'maze' route they took you through one of them, so you get an idea.

Photos from the Network Rail redevelopment video attached that show the final look.

To add:
The East - West section of the diversion will be the future service corridor behind the northern side shops. The back of the shops on Tooley Street will also be accessible from the service corridor (i.e. both sets of shops are fairly deep).

Before the rebuild the arcade was 3 arches wide but had the shops (south side) or front of shops (north side) taking up most of the north and south sections of arches leaving the central section clear for a walking route so the final arrangement will be far better than before.

 

[Barn]

Thanks both.

Photos from the Network Rail redevelopment video attached that show the final look.

View attachment 33236

View attachment 33237

Are those bricks still to be added, or have they been value engineered out? They're not there in the new walkway.

 

[ijmad]

Are those bricks still to be added, or have they been value engineered out? They're not there in the new walkway.

Funny you mention that, I asked that exact question of one of the Costain engineers during the tour I went on this week.

He said the final finish will be what you currently see, the mottled white effect, for all the pillars/arches, as the new 'fake' ones they've built are concrete not brick, so it's easier to make them all look like this rather than clad the new ones with brick. I guess they've changed their mind from the original design for practicality, or 'value engineered out' as you say (love that term!)

 

[hwl]

Funny you mention that, I asked that exact question of one of the Costain engineers during the tour I went on this week.

He said the final finish will be what you currently see, the mottled white effect, for all the pillars/arches, as the new 'fake' ones they've built are concrete not brick, so it's easier to make them all look like this rather than clad the new ones with brick. I guess they've changed their mind from the original design for practicality, or 'value engineered out' as you say (love that term!)

As explained several years ago on this thread - practicality as they would have to be able to inspect behind the brick cladding occasionally so far easier to just not clad it.

 

[ijmad]

Some photos from Geogregor*, on Flickr show all the hoardings have come down on the high level platforms!


IMG_20170619_144240297_HDR by Geogregor*, on Flickr


IMG_20170619_144535520_HDR by Geogregor*, on Flickr

Also an up-to-date aerial shot from another forum:

The far Western end of Platform 1 is gonna be a nice spot to watch trains from

 

[swt_passenger]

The first photo presumably showing the "level access hump" section for Thameslink 700s. Have they been installed anywhere else yet, it's a while since I was on the platform at another 'Thameslink' platform in the vicinity...

 

[ijmad]

The first photo presumably showing the "level access hump" section for Thameslink 700s. Have they been installed anywhere else yet, it's a while since I was on the platform at another 'Thameslink' platform in the vicinity...

Wondering about that myself.

I don't think there's a hump in any of the core stations that I remember seeing, unless all the platforms are at the higher level at those stations?

Why isn't the entire platform length slightly higher if they wanted level access for Thameslink?

 

[swt_passenger]

Wondering about that myself.

I don't think there's a hump in any of the core stations that I remember seeing, unless all the platforms are at the higher level at those stations?

Why isn't the entire platform length slightly higher if they wanted level access for Thameslink?

I'm sure the plan is only for level access to the central (universal access) section of the 12 car or 8 car trains, and in the core stations they will stop where necessary to put the centre of the train at the right place.

I don't think there's ever been a list of stations to be fitted with humps. It may be that these are being fitted now because by the time the platforms are opened there will be no 319s and 377s passing those platforms, but the other four core stations won't be done until only the 700s remain?

 

[ijmad]

I don't think there's ever been a list of stations to be fitted with humps. It may be that these are being fitted now because by the time the platforms are opened there will be no 319s and 377s passing those platforms, but the other four core stations won't be done until only the 700s remain?

Excellent point. I guess if the humps don't work for the older trains, that would explain why we're only seeing them here so far. I wonder if the hump impedes on the gauge of the 319s or 377s, or if it would just mean an awkward step on/off with them there.

 

[swt_passenger]

Excellent point. I guess if the humps don't work for the older trains, that would explain why we're only seeing them here so far. I wonder if the hump impedes on the gauge of the 319s or 377s, or if it would just mean an awkward step on/off with them there.

Probably more because the hump wouldn't line up with the 2 or 3 separate and quite randomly positioned accessible areas spread along the existing trains.

 

[tsr]

When alighting from a train (and often when boarding), an uneven gap is sometimes worse than just a big one. If the humps were to be positioned so their ends created an uneven level adjacent to one or more sets of doors on non-700 stock, it could result in a few twisted ankles!

 

[swt_passenger]

A few recent photos in the skyscraper city forum show progress with the Tooley St entrance, there's also a couple of aerial photos:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=140816252&postcount=999

 

[ijmad]

A few recent photos in the skyscraper city forum show progress with the Tooley St entrance, there's also a couple of aerial photos:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=140816252&postcount=999

I can't tell if the western end of P5 is now 'finished', when the Cannon Street trains were running through, it was missing so they could be slewed off to the running lines more easily. It still looks a bit different from the end of P6/7.

 

[swt_passenger]

I can't tell if the western end of P5 is now 'finished', when the Cannon Street trains were running through, it was missing so they could be slewed off to the running lines more easily. It still looks a bit different from the end of P6/7.

I think the copings aren't fitted yet, and the black lines are the gaps between the prefabricated blocks that support the platform edge. Lengthwise they all stop roughly alongside the emergency escape doors, with some minor variations.

I just magnified the first picture in your earlier post that shows P5 at platform level, and it looks a though the copings stop some way from the west end. It was taken only a few days before the aerials from the shard, so that possibly confirms what I thought?

 

[ijmad]

This week I noticed they've torn down a section of the Great Wall of Costain underneath the western staircase to P6/7, and built a new person-height hoarding line with a different path that blocks off more of the concourse.

I don't know why.

Other than that, seems pretty quiet at the moment, guess they're busy finishing the front glazing and getting ready for the August blockade.

 

[ijmad]

They've finally cut back some of the hoardings on Platform 15! You can now walk on the along the far side of the stair void, if you fancy it.

 

[FOH]

The escalators on the terminating platforms now seem to be going down during morning rush hour from my observations this week.

 

[N/100]

Some of the hoardings underneath platforms 4/5 are now removed so the construction work can be seen while descending from platform 7 to the lower concourse.

Also the open section of the western passage has moved again to a slightly more southerly route.