Morning All
Harlington Railway Station Footbridge Upgrade – December 2025
Further to my previous letters, I’m writing to let you know about the work near to your home in Harlington during December to replace the station footbridge.
Construction work started in May 2025 and is planned to finish in May 2026. We will continue to maximise the use of daytime shifts to undertake the work, however some of our activities have to be carried out when trains aren’t running because we’ll need to have staff and equipment on the track.
During December we will start to install the new structure.
We will install the footbridge columns and staircase on Platform 1 during nightshifts. These shifts will start at 22:00 each night and conclude at 06:00 the following morning every night between 16 and 19 December. For this work a 25-tonne crane will be located on Paxton Approach. The team on site will assist with access while the nightshifts are ongoing, and the crane will be removed each day to enable access. We’re sorry for the disruption this will cause residents. This work will be carried out under a permit granted by the estate management company.
Our team will be using a variety of equipment, including excavators, breakers, drills, circular saws, concrete pumps, generators, mixers, telehandlers and hand tools, and as a result some disturbance is unavoidable. However, every effort will be made to minimise any unnecessary noise, and those working on site are briefed on working responsibly in the local community.
As far as possible the noisy activities will take place during day shifts. Where this is not possible because the work requires no trains to be running to be carried out safely, we will use measures such as acoustic noise barriers and will use hand tools for the breaking out of material on night shifts wherever possible.
We are aware come concerns have been raised about train horns sounding when passing site. This is a safety regulation for all active worksites on the railway with passing trains. We’re sorry that this does cause disruption to you, but this audible warning is a critical part of railway safety protocols, as it alerts workers to the presence of an oncoming train and reduces the risk of any safety related incidents.
The work to rebuild platforms 2 and 3 has been completed and preparatory work for the replacement of the footbridge continues to progress well on site. All piling work has now been completed and the waiting shelter on platform 1 has been reinstated.
Day shifts will continue to be undertaken between 07:00 and 17:00.
Please see the table below for details of nightshifts:
| Night shift dates and times | Details of work |
| 22:00 Monday 1 December – 09:00 Sunday 7 December – 6 x nightshifts | Brickwork Repairs (Breaker to be used) |
| 22:00 Monday 8 December – 09:00 Saturday 13 December – 5 x nightshifts | Brickwork Repairs (Breaker to be used) |
| 22:00 Saturday 13 December – 09:00 Sunday 14 December – 1 x nightshift | Platform 4 footbridge column and staircase installation (city crane to be used in station car park)
Brickwork Repairs (Breaker to be used) |
| 22:00 Monday 15 December – 09:00 Saturday 20 December – 5 x nightshifts | Brickwork Repairs (Breaker to be used) |
| 22:00 Tuesday 16 December – 09:00 Friday 19 December – 3 x nightshift | Platform 1 footbridge column and staircase installation (city crane to be used on Paxton Approach)
|
| 22:00 Saturday 20 December – 09:00 Sunday 21 December – 1 x nightshifts | Brickwork Repairs (Breaker to be used) |
To enable the work needed over Christmas the station car park will be closed from 23 December – see table below.
Customers will continue to have access to the station, the Britannia Cabs office and the station’s Parcel Lockers on 23, 24 and 27 December via a segregated walking route.
While the station will still be open on 23, 24 and 27 December, customers who would usually park at the station are encouraged to plan their travel in advance as the car park will be closed.
Customers who would drive to Harlington and park are advised to travel to Leagrave or Luton stations where car parks have the spare capacity to meet the extra demand.
| Christmas Works | Details of work |
| 00:01 Tuesday 23 December | Full station car park closure
Arrival of 300 tonne crane |
| Thursday 25 December – Saturday 27 December | Platform 2/3 column and staircase installation
Bridge deck installation Crane leaves site |
| 00:01 Sunday 28 December | Car park reopens – half |
Work will continue onsite into the Spring when the existing footbridge will be removed.
As I’ve previously explained, working with infrastructure of this age does mean that there could be times when we come across unexpected obstructions or unchartered buried services within the platform. This could result in the unexpected use of equipment such as a concrete breaker for a short period of time. We will try to minimise the effect of this on neighbours but may have to finish work started at night to ensure the safety of the platforms for daytime use.
For further information about our work which takes place on the railway please visit www.networkrail.co.uk/livingbytherailway alternatively if you have any additional questions or concerns, please visit www.networkrail.co.uk or telephone our 24-hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41.