Crossrail today unveiled striking new designs for the Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station, one of the biggest stations on the Crossrail route. The updated designs indicate the scale of the station’s eventual size. The new Crossrail station, which will begin construction next year, will be integrated with the Tube station to form a combined station that will stretch from London’s Soho to Centre Point.
- Tottenham Court Road station will be gateway to West End with entrances at Centre Point, Oxford Street and Soho
- The new station will transform the Tottenham Court Road area and help drive further investment and regeneration
- A £1bn investment will deliver the new Crossrail station and major redevelopment of existing Tube station
Over the last year, architects Hawkins Brown have been finalising the design for the new Crossrail station which will transform the daily commute for passengers when Crossrail opens, provide additional access to the West End and act as a trigger for further regeneration in the surrounding area. A planning application containing the updated Crossrail designs will shortly be submitted to Westminster City Council for consideration with a final decision expected later this year. Further updated design images for other key Crossrail stations will be unveiled this autumn.
When Crossrail opens Tottenham Court Road will be one of the most important transport hubs in the West End as it will serve both Crossrail and London Underground. The existing Tube station is being extensively redeveloped to make the ticket hall around six times larger and the station will have twice the capacity that it does now. The redeveloped Tube station will eventually connect with the new Crossrail station to form one integrated station. The combined Tube and Crossrail station will have two ticket halls – both entrances will provide access to Tube and Crossrail services.
The new Crossrail station will be constructed on a site bound by Oxford Street to the north, Great Chapel Street to the west, Dean Street to the east and Diadem Court to the south. The station will be constructed with five levels with the ticket hall at street level; it is designed in such a way as to ensure the free flowing movement of passengers entering and exiting the station, thus reducing congestion and crowding. The new Crossrail station will also benefit from step-free access.
At more than 993m in length the combined Tottenham Court Road Tube and Crossrail station will require entrances in two of London’s main destination areas – Soho and Oxford Street – along with an entrance at Centre Point. The new station entrances at Centre Point will be a key design feature of the new public piazza and create a distinctive new landmark for the West End. Made of glass, these new step-free entrances will open up the station by allowing natural light into the levels below.
Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: “Crossrail is an exciting project which will boost rail capacity in London by 10 per cent, revolutionise travel around London and the South East and benefit both business and passengers.”
Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s transport adviser, said: “Crossrail is more than just a transport project as these designs prove. As well as being a fantastic feat of subterranean engineering, the new station will transform the look and feel of the public realm surrounding the Tottenham Court Road end of Oxford Street.”
Rob Holden, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “The striking designs for Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station will soon become a reality as preparatory construction work is now underway ahead of the start of main works in 2011. As the gateway to the West End and Soho, the station will be one of the most important on the Crossrail route and will be constructed on a scale similar to those on the Jubilee Line Extension. This will ensure the station meets the needs of Londoners, commuters and visitors to the capital for generations to come.
“A new Crossrail station combined with a major redevelopment of the existing Tube station will transform the Tottenham Court Road area and act as a catalyst for further investment securing the West End’s position as a premier shopping and entertainment destination and major employment centre.”
The design for Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station also makes provision for the early implementation of an over site development which will be the subject of a separate planning application in late 2010. Plans for the major redevelopment of the Tube station also include provision for the construction of an over-site development which will be led by Derwent London as the freeholder of the Astoria site.
Tottenham Court Road station, which originally opened in 1900, is currently used by 150,000 passengers each day and that number is expected to rise to over 200,000 when Crossrail services commence.
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