Old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo to be rebuilt in £800m capacity boost

Pippa Crerar23 March 2016

Network Rail today announced £800 million to improve Waterloo — London’s busiest station — with a redesign, longer platforms and new trains.

As part of the plans, the former Eurostar terminal will be rebuilt, so platforms 20 to 24 will be brought back into use with modern facilities and new track and signalling, and a spacious, accessible concourse nearby.

The funding aims to help boost capacity at Waterloo by 30 per cent by 2019, and provide better journeys for the 99 million passengers who pass through the station every year.

Commuters regularly face misery there, with delays, disruption and overcrowding on many key routes.

Network Rail bosses admitted it was “not before time” for major improvements — but warned the plan was “a long way” from being the complete answer.

The number of passengers using Waterloo has more than doubled in 20 years, to 234 million a year, and further growth of 40 per cent by 2043 is forecast.

Spacious: how the redesigned concourse at Waterloo will look. Longer platforms and 150 new train carriages are also planned

The project will also see platforms one to four extended to allow longer 10-car trains to run to suburban stations.

This work will be done in August 2017 and Network Rail warned it would cause significant disruption.

The huge investment programme will result in a new fleet of trains — with 150 extra carriages — for South West Trains and longer platforms at 10 stations on the Reading line, reducing overcrowding.

The new carriages, which will have free wifi, wider doors and air-conditioning, will run between Waterloo and Windsor and Eton Riverside.

Advanced technology will be introduced to make all trains more efficient and help improve punctuality.

There will also be improvement work at Vauxhall and Surbiton stations to increase capacity.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “We are investing £40 billion in our nation’s railway infrastructure — the biggest upgrade since Victorian times. From 2017, passengers will benefit from a bigger and better London Waterloo station and 150 new train carriages providing more space for passengers arriving there over the three-hour morning peak.

“This is in addition to the 108 extra carriages that have already been added since 2013. These improvements will make journeys better for hardworking commuters, in the capital and across Britain.”

Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail added: “This is the biggest package of improvements for passengers travelling to and from Waterloo for decades. It will provide passengers with a better station, extra seats and new trains.

“And let’s face it, this is not before time. The plans are a long way from being the complete answer to the peak time congestion on this packed commuter route, but they will make a big difference.”

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