The Shortlands Station Access for All (AfA) scheme delivered a transformative upgrade to a historic Victorian station in the London Borough of Bromley, providing fully step-free access to all platforms while sensitively integrating modern infrastructure within a constrained operational railway and conservation area setting. Delivered by BAM Nuttall for Network Rail as part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, the scheme forms part of a wider initiative to improve accessibility and inclusivity across the UK rail network.
INVVU acted as multidisciplinary lead designer throughout the project, delivering architectural, civil, drainage, structural and geotechnical design services alongside overall design and survey management. INVVU also fulfilled CRE-D roles for Civils & Structures and Architecture, delivered ES4 Form A and ES5 Form B permanent works designs, Form C temporary works designs for cranes and excavation support systems, and internal Category 2 structural checking services.
INVVU commenced design development in July 2022 following project award, with surveys and investigations undertaken throughout August and September 2022. Design development and ES4 submissions progressed through late 2022 and early 2023, followed by ES5 detailed design, multidisciplinary coordination and construction support throughout 2023 and 2024. Construction commenced in January 2024, with the completed scheme opening to passengers in April 2025. The station remained operational throughout construction, requiring careful staging and stakeholder coordination to minimise disruption to passengers and train services.
Prior to the works, access between platforms was only possible via steep staircases and a narrow subway, creating barriers for wheelchair users, passengers with reduced mobility, elderly users and parents with pushchairs. The completed scheme introduced three new 16-person lifts, a new steel overbridge, associated lift motor rooms, staircase alterations and upgraded passenger circulation areas, CCTV, lighting and passenger information systems serving more than one million passenger journeys annually. The design carefully retained the station’s historic character through sympathetic brickwork, detailing and finishes agreed with the local authority.
A major engineering challenge involved constructing new structures on a historic railway embankment formed from poorly graded, non-engineered fill containing buried historic obstructions. The geotechnical and structural design required careful coordination to prevent long-term differential settlement between adjacent lift shafts, bridge trestles and motor rooms while accommodating highly constrained construction beneath existing platform canopies using compact piling equipment.
The completed scheme now provides safe, inclusive and reliable access for the local community, delivering long-term social, economic and accessibility benefits while reinforcing confidence in modern public transport infrastructure.
For more information about the work we do, please contact us on 01303 850808 or at info@invvu.co.uk
