London Bridge station development nightmare

This sounds an aboslute nightmare for anyone using London Bridge - up to 5 years of service disruption.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20123256

Does it need redeveloping? There seems to be so much construction/destruction around London Bridge and Tooley street already!

I am reminded of the words of Bill "Porpoise Spit" Heslop "you cant stop progress" !

they are still digging up half of the local area for shard drainage & utilities !

Yes, it absolutely does need redeveloping. The current station is not at all welcoming, difficult to navigate, overcrowded and not fit for purpose.

I think a lot of the redevelopment has been good, but over the last 13 - 14 years I can't rememember a time when there hasn't been some massive building site somewhere.

Of course it needs redeveloping - London Bridge station can barely cope as it is. Over recent years you've had More London bringing huge numbers of extra people in, and with the Shard becoming habitable in the next few months and also the Place opposite, London Bridge station will only get busier.

It is a real shame they didn't do the redeveloping the right way round, getting the infrastructure in place before the extra people arrived.

Looking at the redirection of the Thameslink Service while the lines are being reorganised, does anyone think they'll be putting the service through Elephant and Castle?

The biggest pain for me is that the trains in to Charing Cross won't be stopping at LB. Such an easy way to get in to the centre of town, and far more pleasant than the jubilee line to Bond Street.

The majority of work that has the potential to be noisy is scheduled to take place during our normal working hours (Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm and Saturday 8am – 1pm). In some circumstances, however, work requires the closure of the railway. Unfortunately in these instances we have no choice but to work at night or during the weekend as this is the only time when the trains are not running. When this happens we take all practical measures to minimise noise and disturbance, in consultation with the London Borough of Southwark.

Why do I feel this is so going to be a major issue over the coming years for everyone in the area *sighs loudly*