A £130 MILLION scheme to completely overhaul Edinburgh’s Waverley station to make it lighter and brighter has been submitted to the city council’s planning department by Network Rail.

At the centre of the project will be the replacement of the station’s 34,000 square metre Victorian glazed roof.

Meanwhile, in a separate project, improvements to the Waverley Steps entrance to the station from Princes Street have moved closer with the company’s earlier submission of its application to Scottish ministers.

The four-year scheme to improve passenger facilities at the station comes a year after completion of multi-million pound track capacity improvements, and will run in conjunction with planned redevelopment of the steps.

The station roof renewal will involve the installation of clear, strengthened glass to replace the cloudy, wire safety glass currently inhibiting natural light from reaching the concourse and platforms.

The project will also provide an improved cleaning and maintenance system for the roof, which will reduce re-liance on artificial lighting and create a brighter and cleaner environment.

Also, the new roof will be designed to capture rainwater for potential use in a future ‘grey water’ recycling scheme.

Other proposed station en-hancements include a new Market Street entrance, im-provements to platforms 8 and 9, concourse and main building exterior refurbishment and repairs to the Calton Road entrance.

Original ironwork features will be repaired and repainted, while non-essential station furniture, buildings and redundant high-level walkways will be removed.

Network Rail’s director, Scotland, Ron McAulay said: “These plans strike the right balance between preserving Waverley’s rich heritage and creating a station environment to meet the needs of passengers in the 21st Century. We have consulted with heritage groups and other interested parties in drawing up these plans.”

The application for a Trans-port and Works Order to undertake the Waverley Steps work includes proposals to create a new covered step and escalator access from the station to the roof of Princes Mall.

The scheme gained strong public support following exhibition of the plans last October to thousands of visitors.
 
Ninety-three per cent of the 800 people who completed a survey of the enhancement plans indicated support for the overall design, and Network Rail also consulted many other local organisations.

Ron McAulay said: “The existing steps, used by around 37 per cent of 24 million passengers a year, are impossible for wheelchair users, and near- impossible for those with prams or heavy luggage.”

He added: “Submission of this application is a major milestone for this project following an extended period in development. We have now reached final design agreement with our neighbours and, if the application is approved, we hope to see work begin within the next 12 months.”

To be funded by Transport Scotland, the Waverley Steps application is the first of its kind under the new Transport and Works (Scotland) Act 2007.