£15 million cost of keeping Waterloo platforms closed

Secret plans to keep Waterloo's "ghost" platforms in mothballs for five more years to allow a supermarket development can be revealed.

The Government has decided to delay running commuter services from the former Eurostar terminal until 2015 while the supermarket is built, the Evening Standard has learned. It means passengers will have to wait longer for full service improvements and taxpayers could be landed with a £15 million bill just to maintain the unused capacity.

An industry insider said: "It is costing £2 million to £3 million a year to keep these platforms in mothballs when they could be brought into service."

The £135 million international terminal closed after Eurostar services moved to St Pancras two years ago.