London Underground is planning to partially demolish its tube station entrance within Marylebone station in order to add a third escalator and expand the number to ticket gates it has.
The plans call the replacement of the current staircase between the two escalators with a third escalator, and that requires the ticket gateline to also be expanded.
The two escalators at Marylebone station are now life expired, hence, the project plan to replace them and the central staircase with two brand new HD Metro Type Machines, adding a third escalator of this same type in place of the existing staircase.
The original proposal by the project team was to deliver the works under a full station closure, but that was rejected, and the plans amended to keep the station open during the building works. In order for the station to remain fully operational, 2 escalators must be in operation at one time.
Source: Planning documents
Therefore, the central staircase must be converted to an escalator before the existing escalators can be replaced. Then the remaining two escalators will be replaced one at a time.
It means a longer delivery time to complete the works, but at least the station will remain open throughout, and as the upgrade is adding capacity, the building works shouldn’t see any extra overcrowding occurring.
Responding to the planning application, the St Marylebone Society said that it is pleased that the Underground station would now remain open during construction as closure would put pressure on other nearby stations.
However, as a result of implement the additional escalator, the existing position of the gateline would itself be in breach of LU Standards as the space between the ticket gates and the escalators would not be large enough to cope with larger numbers of people able to use the escalators at once. Therefore, the gateline needs to be relocated and extended 1.5 metres onto the Chiltern Railway concourse, and an additional 2 gates installed.
Source: Planning documents
As a result of the changes at the ticket gates, there will be a 30% increase in ticket gate capacity, and although that is just going from 5 gates to 7 ticket gates, it does represent a throughput of nearly 4,000 people per hour.
That’s an unintended, but very welcome secondary upgrade to the tube station.
The current rather utilitarian tube station entrance within the delightful mainline station was rebuilt by British Rail’s Network South-East in 1988, and has their typical metal panel design and colour scheme. The part of the station to be demolished is the former ticket office, although the replacement panels will match the design of the rest of the station.
The planning application is here.
By chance I used Marylebone Station today and no doubt because of its history of impending closure the tube station has not received any upgrades in recent years .
It’s a Station where you alight trains and then have to climb stairs to reach subway to escalators although fortunately the do reach Mainline Station level .
This news will be welcome to a friend who’s local station Marylebone is although they Would prefer step free access .
Which makes me wonder if as part of these plans a location for future lift access could not have been made even thought it would be depending future funding but Marylebone is a Mainline Station thus should be a long term candidate for full step free access.
As long as London Marylebone station doesn’t lose its iconic “Network Southeast” tiles and NSE red painted poles. Then it should be intact. Which I’m a massive Network Southeast fanatic.
When I started working in the area thirty years ago Marylebone was a forgotten station. Unrestored, quiet, the WH Smith was a kiosk that opened up each day and had books on trestle tables…
When will Marylebone tube station close?
Read the 4th paragraph.
It isn’t going to close Esme.