Here at Momentum, we recognise the challenges that Stations face today and Bank is a station that faces challenges like no other.
Together, Bank & Monument is London’s third busiest station with four London Underground lines and the Docklands Light Railway. In the morning peak hours, almost 110,000 people travel through this station – one which has no surface presence! Unsurprisingly, the station exceeded its anticipated 2020 growth figures earlier this year and, simply put, something had to be done.
The Bank Station Capacity Upgrade (BSCU) is a complex project which includes the construction of a new Northern line tunnel and platform as well as a new station entrance on Cannon Street. And that’s not all.
Northern Line Platform. Image sourced from Transport for London.
Once complete in 2020, Bank will have 3 new lifts, 12 new escalators and 2 moving walkways, improving step-free access, efficiently transporting passengers through the station and increasing the capacity by 40%.
Back in July, we got the opportunity to join the Women in Transport for an exclusive tour of BSCU. Over the course of a morning, we learnt about the extensive consultation and stakeholder engagement that was undertaken to support the Transport & Works Act Order (TWAO). The TWAO sailed through its application, statutory consultation and public inquiry without a single objection!
The majority of the buildings within the site lie within a conservation area and so, prior to construction, a year’s worth of ground monitoring was undertaken. We got to sneak a peek into one of the most important buildings in the conservation area, St Mary Abchurch, which neighbours the new Cannon Street station entrance.
Cannon Street Entrance. Image sourced from Transport for London.
We also got to take a step behind the hoarding into two of the construction sites which really opened our eyes to the incredible complexities of this project, tunnelling through a busy central London conservation area, all whilst keeping the station open for business as usual.
We’d like to thank the team at London Underground and Dragados for a truly fascinating tour and Women in Transport for organising a great event.
