Timetable set for Waterloo Station capacity increases

The number of passenger journeys at Waterloo Station has more than doubled in the last 20 years to 234 million a year, and further growth of 40 per cent by 2043 is forecast.

Plans to extend platforms 1-4 to accommodate longer trains – and to bring the old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo International into full use by commuter trains – had already been announced, but this week a detailed timetable for the work has been confirmed.

Network Rail claims that the project will provide a 30 per cent boost to peak time capacity by 2019.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "From 2017, passengers will benefit from a bigger and better London Waterloo station and 150 new train carriages providing more space for passengers arriving at London Waterloo over the three-hour morning peak – this is in addition to the 108 extra carriages that have already been added since 2013."

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. Since 1996, the numbers of passengers on routes into Waterloo have more than doubled – rising from 108 million passenger journeys a year to over 230 million. And this increase is showing no sign of slowing down."

Key dates

• March 2016: work starts
• August 2017: platforms 1-8 out of use for 23 days, with significant changes to services
• December 2018: new timetable introduced, making full use of all 24 platforms

Separately, London & Continental Railways is working to create a new shopping and leisure complex in the unused space below the old international terminal.