London St. Pancras Highspeed (LSPH) and Eurostar have today signed a letter of intent, marking their joint ambition to take significant steps to expand the capacity at St. Pancras International. The project aims to futureproof one of Europe’s busiest international rail hubs and support growing demand for sustainable cross-border travel.

Hawkins\Brown has been contracted by Eurostar and LSPH to design and deliver a reimagined ground floor layout for the international zone to more than double the station’s current capacity.

This will be achieved through smart design by remodelling and redefining the existing space and processes, carefully respecting the heritage of St Pancras without the need for major structural changes.

The plans come as demand for sustainable travel to Europe continues to rise. Research commissioned by LSPH earlier this year found demand is set to triple by 2040, increasing from 11 million to 35 million passengers per year. Eurostar recently announced plans to expand its destinations from London to include Geneva and Frankfurt as travellers seek to travel further than ever by high-speed rail.

Hawkins\Brown will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to deliver the design and feasibility study. Partners include Ramboll (engineering), Momentum (pedestrian modelling), OFR (fire engineering), Montagu Evans (heritage consultancy), Gardiner & Theobald (quantity surveying), and Willmott Dixon Interiors (construction phasing).

Andrew Davies, Partner & Transport & Infrastructure lead at Hawkins\Brown said: “We are very excited to be leading a hand-picked multi-disciplinary team to unlock this constrained site and enable millions of people to enjoy affordable, high-speed, and sustainable journeys to and from Europe. Our challenge is to create a welcoming new landmark for London, with minimal disruption to the travelling public in the process.”

The concept design and feasibility study is due to be finished towards the end of 2025, when formal design and construction plans are to be developed. Predicted completion date for phase two is by the end of 2028.