Geoff Marshall

Video: New Victoria Station — An Exclusive Look Behind The Hoardings

You'd be forgiven for thinking that all construction work you see at stations at the moment is purely Crossrail-related. But not at Victoria, where the plan is to increase capacity to the Underground station so almost half of the 82 million passengers that pass through it every year enter and exit via a new entrance being built at the north end of the Victoria Line platforms.

This will massively ease congestion, cut 'passenger management' in the morning peak time and actually save you a few minutes on your commute — as many people won't have to 'double back' by exiting the station at the wrong end to where they want to be on the surface.

In total there will be nine new escalators and eight new lifts bringing step-free access to the whole of the station — including the sub-surface District and Circle Lines. It's worth noting that while all the publicity says "open in 2018", the new Cardinal Place ticket hall is on schedule to be completed in 2016, and that will bring lifts and step-free access to the Victoria Line platforms. When all the works are complete in 2018, lifts and step-free access will reach the District and Circle Lines.

We got a fascinating insight into the new passageways being built under the streets, as you can see in the video.