Your intrepid reporter visits Waterloo Station to experience the predicted chaos

You, dear readers, will know of my occasional reports on the progress of changes at Waterloo Station. You can read them HERE, in descending date order.

The predicted chaos was nowhere to be seen when I journeyed there last Friday 11th August. Everything was running smoothly. The new platforms in the old International Station were accessed by a new gently rising wide ramp from the main station concourse. You can see the entrance to the ramp to the right of photo 2 in the group below. Comparison with the photos in my May 18th report shows the amount of construction work completed between then and now.

In my previous report of May 18th this year, I said that the deadline for opening the new platforms would be tight. That’s how it turned out. I spoke with a station manager, whom I saw dispensing free bottles of water next to the new platforms [see photo], and asked him about their meeting the deadline date. I asked, “how close, in days?”. He replied “close”. I pressed, “a matter of hours?”, he replied, “close”, and smiled not wanting to be drawn any further. Here are my photos,

 

How is the Waterloo station upgrade progressing?

When I travelled to Waterloo Station this week and viewed the ongoing work to create 5 new temporary platforms in the former Waterloo International Terminal, I wondered whether they’ll meet their target to have the new platforms ready for August 5th.

That’s only 11 weeks way, and there appears to be lots of work still to do. It’s only through the photos I’ve taken since last September that I’ve come to this conclusion – an erroneous view it may well be. I don’t like being negative, but can’t help thinking it a tight target. Here are a couple of my photos, on the left, from March 21st this year, and the second from May 15th. [click on photos to expand – also my February article this year has the links to Network Rail information on the upgrade]

 

Yet more infrastructure proceeding slowly

I noted, recently,  the slow pace of Virgin Media’s contractors installing ultrafast broadband in Lightwater.

Last week while in London, as is my wont, I photograph the progress of construction work at Waterloo railway station.  I must say the changes since my earlier visit in December 2016 are hardly discernible. Spotting a man in high-viz clothing I enquired, among other things, as to the progress of the project. Came back the reply that things weren’t going as fast as hoped for the opening in August 2017 of temporary use of platforms 20-24 of the old Waterloo International Station.

Below are my photos – click on image to expand.

Infrastructure Upgrades #3: Extra platforms at Waterloo station for suburban trains

The are two side to upgrades to our national infrastructure. The good side results from improvements, efficiency, and increased capacity, while the bad side is the necessary dislocation and delay, although temporary.

This is certainly the case with the upgrade to Waterloo railway station. Bringing into use the Eurostar platforms increases capacity – a good thing. Extending some of the platforms to cater for 10 coach trains is also a good thing. All this is not without dislocation. The video by Network Rail explains the project works, and THIS website explains the changes to train timetables in August this year.

Photos of the progress in Waterloo Station platform upgrade

Travelling to London from this part of the world means arriving at Waterloo Station. The station is undergoing a significant upgrade, as announced in March 2016 by Network Rail, all part of the Wessex Capacity Improvement project. In the Network Rail announcement they stated that,

Work starts [in March 2016] to rebuild the former Waterloo International Terminal to allow platforms 20–24 back into use with modern facilities, new track and signalling and a spacious, accessible concourse suitable for thousands of passengers.

Platforms 1–4 will be extended – with significant changes to the usual passenger timetable required during the work, which starts in August 2017 – to allow longer, 10-car trains to run to London suburban stations.

I’ve previously mentioned my pleasure at peering into holes on building sites, especially the one adjacent to Waterloo Station. Well, now I’ve another building development at Waterloo to observe, and that’s the conversion of the former Eurostar platforms back into use. Here are three photos taken in September, November and December, plus an artist’s drawing of the the finished platforms.

Conversion of Eurostar platforms at Waterloo proceeding

In London yesterday we walked past the old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo Station.

We saw, and heard, the construction to convert the four platforms into use. You can learn more about this change at Wessex Capacity Improvement Programme. I wrote about this, and the change to Camberley Station’s platform length in July this year – see HERE.

Good to see the work progressing, just a shame that that so much of the reasonably recent station platforms have to be demolished. Progress I think it’s called. Here’s my photo of the work – click to expand.

The pleasure of peering into holes, revisited

In May this year I wrote about the pleasure of peering into holes. Particularly referencing the hole that could be viewed from the elevated walkway leaving the Waterloo Station towards York Road and the Shell Centre.

Well, there’s no hole now, as I saw when in London last week. In fact, nothing to indicate there was ever a hole there at all. My first photos of the hole on this blog – see below – didn’t show that the hole was even deeper. I still haven’t a clue what all the construction is for. Maybe, one day I’ll find out. At least I’ve got the evidence.