Over the Easter weekend, an existing staircase at Clapham Junction station in southwest London was removed and replaced by a new and wider one.

The existing staircase on platforms 13 and 14 at the station was successfully removed by Network Rail engineers and its supply chain partners and replaced by a new one that required the use of an 80m, 700-tonne hydraulic crane, which is one of the biggest cranes in Europe.

The new staircase is wider than its predecessor and was installed to improve capacity and reduce the overall congestion in the station, thereby making for a more comfortable experience for passengers travelling through.

At the same time, engineers also worked around the clock at Streatham North Junction to renew a set of outdated points and crossings to improve safety and reliability.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “It’s fantastic to see the progress the teams have made over the Easter weekend across the Sussex region.

“At Clapham Junction, the new staircase will mean more comfortable journeys for passengers especially those using busy platforms 13 and 14 which serve passengers travelling on Southern services to and from London Victoria and the south coast.

“The work down in Streatham also sees the last of nine major junction rebuilds which have been delivered as part of the two-year, £160m investment in track and signalling on the lines between Balham, Clapham Junction, and London Victoria as part of the London Victoria resignalling programme.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we carried out these works. The upgrades will keep people moving safely and reliably for decades to come.”