Media centre

Tuesday 29 Aug 2017

Network Rail thanks passengers as it completes Waterloo Upgrade

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Network Rail has now fully reopened Waterloo station after completing one of the largest and most complex upgrades in the station’s history.

However, due to safety critical work to test the signalling taking slightly longer than planned early this morning, we are expecting disruption to the morning rush hour. Network Rail apologises to passengers for any delays to their journey and asks them to check before they travel this morning.

A 1,000-strong team of engineers and trackside staff have been working 24 hours a day for the last three and half weeks to complete the work this morning (Tuesday, 29 August).

During the three week project, platforms 1-4 were extended to accommodate longer, 10-car trains, creating more space for passengers.

The work was an essential part of the £800 million Waterloo and South West Upgrade which will boost capacity at the station by 30% by December 2018, providing space for another 45,000 passengers at morning and evening peaks.

Network Rail thanks passengers for their patience over August.

Becky Lumlock, route managing director at Network Rail, said: “The work we have completed in three and a half weeks this August will benefit passengers for decades to come. The longer platforms will create space for longer trains, making journeys more comfortable for passengers, particularly at the busiest times of day.

“Over the next 16 months we’ll turn our attention to the final stages of the redevelopment of the former International Terminal. We’ll be working behind the scenes so that we can, by the end of next year, permanently bring the five extra platforms back into use for what will become a modern, high frequency commuter terminal fit for the 21^st century.

“I’d like to personally thank passengers for their patience over the last few weeks, and apologise to disruption to their journeys this morning.  I’d also like to pay tribute to our 1,000 strong army of engineers and track workers who have delivered such an enormous project.”

Over the three and a half weeks there have been:

• 180,000 hours worked
• 1,270 metres of track laid
• 230 metres of pre-cast concrete installed  
• 160 meters of new platform built
• 7 miles of cable laid

Andy Mellors, managing director for South Western Railway, said: “I’d like to thank our passengers for their patience over the past few weeks. It’s clearly been a challenging time but these improvement works will help us deliver the increased capacity needed for the future.

“As well as Network Rail's orange army who completed the works, I’d also like to thank South Western Railway colleagues and those working for other industry partners for their hard work over many weeks in preparing for this incredibly complex infrastructure upgrade, as well as providing assistance to our passengers during the works.”

Rail passengers travelling from some stations in Kent are asked to check before travel today (Tuesday 29 August) as trains which had been scheduled to run into Waterloo while major improvement work is carried out in and around London Bridge will run to and from London Blackfriars instead. Passengers can check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

All other Network Rail worksites, including the HS2 enabling works at Euston station, have completed.