£4.5m Stevenage Station Upgrade Pushes Ahead with Major Canopy Overhaul

A major upgrade programme is progressing at Stevenage railway station, where a £4.5 million investment is transforming platform canopies, staircase roofs and lighting systems.

The four-month project, scheduled to complete by the end of June, has already seen significant milestones reached. Existing canopy roofs have been removed and replaced with new weatherproof structures, while the timber framework beneath has also been renewed. Installation of a modern platform lighting system is underway, with early sections now in place.

Work continues on improving the roofing over staircases, forming part of a broader effort to modernise key station infrastructure and address long-standing maintenance issues.

Preparation for the scheme began during a planned engineering closure over the weekend of 31 January to 1 February. During this period, teams installed specialist protective equipment, including Faraday cages, allowing safe working in close proximity to live overhead electrical lines. This approach has enabled construction to continue during operational hours, keeping disruption to passengers to a minimum.

Despite the scale of the works, the station remains open, with services continuing to run throughout the programme. However, scaffolding associated with the upgrade will remain in place beyond the main construction phase and is not expected to be fully removed until November. Its removal will be coordinated with other engineering work on the East Coast Main Line to limit further disruption.

Danni Parker-Rankine, Network Rail scheme project manager, said:

“This refurbishment at Stevenage station will transform the canopies, upgrade the roof structure and resolve long-standing issues with leaks. Along with the fully renewed platform lighting system, the improvements will make the station more welcoming. It will keep passengers safe, secure, and dry in future. The project team has worked incredibly hard to keep the programme moving, and we’re pleased to see such significant progress made already.”

Robert Howard, Great Northern’s Stevenage station manager, said:

“I appreciate this work may cause some short-term disruption but ensuring the safety of our customers and colleagues is our absolute priority. These improvements are essential to maintaining the high standards our passengers rightly expect.”

Image: Network Rail