Thanks to Pilkington UK, glazed screens spanning almost 4km were installed across London’s Elizabeth Line stations this summer. The installation is said to enhance passenger safety.
Pilkington UK supplied 5,000 glass panels to Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK, which manufactured and installed floor-to-ceiling platform screen and door systems. This created a transparent safety barrier between the platform edge and the track.
The glazed barriers feature on both the 240m-long eastbound and westbound platforms at Paddington, Bond Street, Woolwich, Canary Wharf, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel stations. Incorporating two pieces of advanced toughened glass, the glazing solution is based on technology that underpins the Pilkington Pyroclear range, which sets out to address current risk requirements, including barrier safety and blast resistance.
Kristian Chalmers, head of sales at Pilkington UK, said: “We’re proud to be one of the many suppliers from across the UK’s nations and regions that have helped Crossrail to become a reality. Naturally, a project like this commands the specification of high-performance materials that can withstand very high traffic while meeting critical safety requirements.”
The Elizabeth Line serves 41 accessible stations, 31 of them upgraded, including the three terminal rail stations at Heathrow, and services to Reading. It is set to boost central London’s rail capacity by 10%, bringing an additional 1.5 million people within 45 minutes’ commute of central London. Read more about Pilkington here.
