London Bridge Rebuilding Works: Thameslink Programme

Construction Begins

Station rebuilding has been undertaken in conjunction with what has become known as the ‘’London Bridge Quarter’’. This project involved complete redevelopment of the site bordering the original station entrance, seeing the demolition of two 1970s skyscrapers and the external refurbishment of the tower housing Guy’s Hospital.

The first signs of upheaval occurred in March 2008 when scaffolding appeared around ‘’Southwark Towers’’. This was a 24-storey skyscraper which backed onto the terminus part of the station, having been completed in 1975 on the former sites of the booking office and Terminus Hotel. The latter was built in 1861, but was completely destroyed by a bombing raid in 1940. Demolition of ‘’Southwark Towers’’ was finished in December 2008 and in February of the following year, work on ‘’The Shard of Glass’’ got underway on the same site (the formal date of construction work starting was given as 16th March). This colossus requires no introduction: the plans outlined a 95-storey tower, 1016-feet high (310 metres), comprising a steel frame clad with 11,000 individual panes of glass, all at a cost of £450,000,000.

In October 2009, multinational construction company ‘’Skanska’’ was awarded the contract to construct the 400-metre Borough Market Viaduct. The project was worth £59,200,000, with preparations for construction scheduled to start in the same month. This element of the project brought its own set of challenges, given that the course of the new viaduct was to cut straight through the roof of the historic Borough Market. To compensate for this, dismantling of the market’s original cast iron framework was accommodated in the scheme; it would subsequently be stored, refurbished, and reassembled around the new viaduct, albeit in a slightly revised position. A number of vintage buildings also blocked the proposed path of the new viaduct – some were completely removed, whilst others were only partially demolished to accommodate the structure.

In January 2010, the next phase of site clearance began with the erection of scaffolding around ‘’New London Bridge House’’. This was a 25-storey skyscraper, completed in 1967, which sat opposite the station forecourt. Its site had been earmarked for ‘’London Bridge Place’’ (also known as the ‘’Baby Shard’’), a 17-storey glass-clad office block rising up to 88-metres (289-feet) in height, with a price tag of £200,000,000.

Piling for the viaduct was completed in September 2010, after which followed the building of a series of paired 1.8-metre-diameter columns. These were to uphold steel box girders supporting a prefabricated concrete deck, and the first sections of steel were lifted upon the columns over the weekend of 9th/10th October 2010. This initial stage of construction involved building a 128-metre section of the viaduct west of Borough High Street and, to the east, a 50-metre stretch. To fill the breach over the road, a 70-metre-long 1,500 tonne steel bridge was constructed upon the western section of the viaduct. This was then ‘’slid’’ into position over Borough High Street during a road closure, enacted from 02:00 Saturday 30th April 2011 to 05:00 on Tuesday 3rd May 2011. The main works on the viaduct were deemed complete in summer 2012, although it had yet to be connected at its eastern end, pending the demolition of the remaining façade and offices of the existing station. These works had started to gather pace in March 2011.

In April 2012, construction of a ‘’crash deck’’ began around the trainshed of the terminal platforms, to facilitate demolition. By March 2013, most of the trainshed had been removed, although some of the columns were still standing on platforms 11/12 and 15/16, with the charred remains of the ornate roof brackets. Temporary canopies and lighting had also been installed along the terminal platforms. Although the platform numbers reached 16, there were fifteen of them – the gap in numbering was a result of the ‘’passing loop’’ which ran beside the line of platform 6.

The Shard was formally opened on 5th July 2012, although the structure had been completed in the April. As part of this scheme, the London Bridge Quarter development programme funded a new glazed concourse behind the station’s terminal platforms and provided a replacement bus station on ‘’Railway Approach’’. The latter opened on Monday 14th May 2012.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend of Saturday 25th May 2013 to Monday 27th May 2013, the terminal platforms at London Bridge were closed, to enable preparations for reconstruction. Platform Nos. 8 to 13 reopened on the following Tuesday, but Nos. 14 to 16 remained closed for rebuilding – from then on, there would be no platform numbered 16 at the station. The new platform Nos. 14 and 15 were brought back into use on Monday 31st March 2014, which coincided with the closure of Nos. 12 and 13 for rebuilding. Due to the location of the existing signal box, platform 15 could not be taken beyond ten-car capacity, whilst its counterparts would be able to accommodate twelve-vehicle trains. By this time, £6,500,000,000 was being reported as the cost of the entire ‘’Thameslink’’ scheme.

A complete closure of the terminal platforms was enacted from 23rd August 2014 until 31st August 2014 (inclusive), resulting in no ''Southern'' or Thameslink services calling at the station during this time. This was to enable track relaying on the terminus approaches, in addition to further platform and canopy construction.

10th March 2012

Perched upon the viaduct is the London Bridge Panel, which was fully commissioned on 17th April 1976. The presence of the signal box prevents the extension of platform 15 beyond ten-vehicle capacity. © David Glasspool

10th March 2012

At this stage, part of the SER offices along Tooley Street was occupied by the ''Britain at War'' Museum, which recounted the Blitz of World War II. Due to impending demolition of the building, this closed in January 2013. © David Glasspool

10th March 2012

The new glazed concourse behind the terminal platforms was funded as part of the ''London Bridge Quarter'' development. At the time of this view, the 1970s structures still bordered the new concourse along the left-hand side. © David Glasspool

10th March 2012

Behind the barricade in this Cannon Street-bound view is the new bus station which, like the concourse, was funded as part of the ''London Bridge Quarter'' development. This came into use on 14th May 2012. The building taking shape on the left is the ''Baby Shard''. On the right is the framework of the 1970s façade, which was in the process of demolition. © David Glasspool