Waterloo station
Encyclopedia
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground
complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail
and is close to the South Bank
of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1
.
A station on this site first came into being in 1848. The present buildings were inaugurated in 1922. Part of the station is a Grade II listed heritage building.
With some 88 million passengers a year, Waterloo is easily Britain's busiest railway station in terms of passenger throughput. The total number of people passing through the station is considerably greater, as this figure is based on ticket sales for London Waterloo alone and does not include usage data for the Underground
and Waterloo East. The Waterloo complex is one of the busiest passenger terminals in Europe, comparable to the Gare Saint-Lazare
and second only to the Gare du Nord
in Paris. It has more platforms and a greater floor area than any other station in the UK (but Clapham Junction
, just under four miles (6 km) down the line, has the largest number of trains). It is the terminus of a network of railway lines in Surrey
, Berkshire
, Hampshire
, South West England
, and the south-western suburbs of London.
While much of Waterloo's traffic is essentially local or suburban in character, there are also regular "main line" express services to longer-distance destinations, the most important of which are Portsmouth
, Southampton
, and Bournemouth
, all on the south coast.
(L&SWR) opened the station on 11 July 1848 as 'Waterloo Bridge Station' (from the nearby crossing
over the Thames) when its main line was extended from Nine Elms
. Designed by William Tite
, it was raised above marshy ground on a series of arches. The unfulfilled intention was for a through station with services to the City
. In 1886 it officially became 'Waterloo Station', reflecting long-standing common usage, even in some L&SWR timetables.
As the station grew, it became increasingly ramshackle. The original 1848 station became known as the 'Central Station' as other platforms were added. The new platform sets were known by nicknames - the two platforms added for suburban services in 1878 were the 'Cyprus Station', whilst the six built in 1885 for use by trains on the Windsor line became the 'Khartoum
Station'. Each of these stations-within-a-station had its own booking office, Taxi
stand and public entrances from the street, as well as often poorly marked and confusing access to the rest of the station. By 1899 Waterloo had 16 platform roads but only 10 platform numbers due to platforms in different sections of the station or on different levels sometimes duplicating the number of a platform elsewhere. A little-used railway line even crossed the main concourse on the level and passed through an archway in the station building to connect to the South Eastern Railway
's smaller station, now Waterloo East
, whose tracks lie perpendicular to those of Waterloo. Passengers were, not surprisingly, confused by the layout and by the two adjacent stations called 'Waterloo'. By 1897 there were also three separate (and separately-owned) Underground
stations named 'Waterloo' under or close by the station, as well as the adjacent Necropolis Company station
. This complexity and confusion became the butt of jokes by writers and music hall
comics for many years in the late 19th century. In Jerome K. Jerome
's book Three Men in a Boat
no one at Waterloo knows the wanted train's platform, departure time or destination.
In 1899 the L&SWR decided on a total rebuilding. Legal powers were granted that year, and extensive groundwork and slum
clearance were carried out until 1904, when construction on the terminus proper began. The new station was opened in stages, the first five new platforms opening in 1910. Construction continued sporadically throughout the First World War, and the new station finally opened in 1922 with 21 platforms and a concourse nearly 800 feet (250 m) long. The new station included a large stained glass
window depicting the L&SWR's company crest over the main road entrance, surrounded by a frieze
listing the counties
served by the railway (the latter survives today). These features were retained in the design despite the fact that by the time the station opened the 1921 Railway Act
had been passed which spelt the end of the L&SWR as an independent concern. The main pedestrian entrance, the Victory Arch (known as Exit 5), is a memorial to company staff who were killed during the two world wars. Damage to the station in World War II
required considerable repair but entailed no significant changes of layout.
A past curiosity of Waterloo was that a spur led to the adjoining dedicated station
of the London Necropolis Company
, from which funeral train
s, at one time daily, ran to Brookwood Cemetery
bearing coffins at 2/6 each. This station was destroyed during World War II
.
Ownership of Waterloo underwent a succession, broadly typical of many British stations. Under the 1923 Grouping
it passed to the Southern Railway
(SR), then in the 1948 nationalisation to British Rail
ways. Following the privatisation of British Rail
, ownership and management passed to Railtrack
in April 1994 and finally in 2002 to Network Rail
.
Platforms 20 and 21 were lost to the Waterloo International railway station
site, which from November 1994 to November 2007 was the London terminus of Eurostar
international trains to Paris and Brussels. Construction necessitated the removal of decorative masonry forming two arches from that side of the station, bearing the legend "Southern Railway". This was re-erected at the private Fawley Hill Museum of Sir William McAlpine
, whose company built Waterloo International. Waterloo International closed when the Eurostar service transferred to the new St Pancras railway station
with the opening of the second phase of "HS1", High Speed route 1, also known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link or CTRL. Ownership of the former Waterloo International terminal then passed to BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
, the Underground
station (which includes the Waterloo and City line to Bank, known informally as 'The Drain'), and several bus stops.
Waterloo station connects to Waterloo East, across Waterloo Road, by a high-level walkway constructed mostly above the bridge of the former little-used connecting curve.
River services
operate from nearby Waterloo Pier
next to the London Eye
.
A large four-faced clock hangs in the middle of the main concourse. Meeting "under the clock at Waterloo" is a traditional rendezvous.
police station at Waterloo by the Victory Arch, with a custody suite of three cells. Although it was relatively cramped, until the late 1990s over 40 police officers operated from it.
Following the closure of the Eurostar
Terminal at Waterloo, the police station closed in February 2009, and the railway station is now policed from a new Inner London Police Station a few yards from Waterloo at Holmes Terrace. Until July 2010, the Neighbourhood Policing Team for Waterloo consisted of an Inspector, Sergeant, two Constables, Special Constables
, and 13 PCSO
s - this establishment was significantly increased by the introduction of the 'Neighbourhood Hub Team' at Waterloo, involving police officers from London Underground.
.
Waterloo International was the terminus for Eurostar international trains from 1994 until 2007, when they transferred to new international platforms at . Waterloo International's five platforms were numbered 20 to 24.
.
, Jubilee
, Northern
(Charing Cross branch) and Waterloo & City
lines. It is one of only two London terminals without a close connection to the Circle Line, the other being London Bridge
.
Since the transfer of Eurostar services away from Waterloo, the former Eurostar platforms 20-24 of Waterloo International have remained unused. Waterloo suffers significant capacity problems, and there are proposals to convert the former international station to domestic use. In December 2008 preparatory work was carried out to enable platform 20 to be used by South West Trains suburban services, including the removal of equipment such as customs control facilities, at an estimated cost of between £50,000 and £100,000.
However, the conversion of the remaining platforms has been delayed as it would require further alterations to the station infrastructure; the former Eurostar lines would now conflict with the Windsor line
services, and it is proposed to build a flyover
. The cost of maintaining the disused platforms up to late 2010 was found via a Freedom of Information request to have been £4.1 million.
The project has been criticised for its delayed completion date; in 2009 the Department for Transport
confirmed that Network Rail was developing High Level Output Specification options for the station, with an estimated date for the re-opening of the platforms of 2014, seven years after their closure.
From 4 July 2010 to 2 January 2011, two of the disused platforms are hosting a theatrical performance of The Railway Children
by E. Nesbit
. The audience is seated either side of the actual railway track. The show included the use of a steam locomotive pulling one of the original carriages from the 1970s film (propelled by a diesel). The performance moved to London after two acclaimed summer runs at the National Railway Museum
in York.
rail service. This project, promoted by BAA, envisages the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to Reading Line
to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to , and Guildford
. Airtrack is planned to open in 2015, subject to government approval.
. In the 1990s, after Waterloo station was chosen as the British terminus for the Eurostar
train service, Florent Longuepée, a municipal councillor in Paris, wrote to the British Prime Minister requesting that the station be renamed because he said it was upsetting for the French to be reminded of Napoleon's defeat when they arrived in London by Eurostar. There is a name counterpart in Paris: the Gare d'Austerlitz
is named after the Battle of Austerlitz
, one of Napolean's greatest victories. However, this station is less important than most other stations in the city.
, The Commander, Spooks, The Apprentice, The Bill
, Top Gear, and Only Fools and Horses
.
for the 1948 centenary of the station. The two pictures show hundreds of busy travellers all in exactly the same positions and poses, but with altered clothing and roles. The preparatory sketches for these were drawn between 1939 and 1942.
Other famous paintings of the station include the huge 1967 work by Terence Cuneo.
}
}
}
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
and is close to the South Bank
South Bank
South Bank is an area of London, England located immediately adjacent to the south side of the River Thames. It forms a long and narrow section of riverside development that is within the London Borough of Lambeth to the border with the London Borough of Southwark and was formerly simply known as...
of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1
Travelcard Zone 1
Fare zone 1 is the central zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. For most tickets, travel through the zone is charged...
.
A station on this site first came into being in 1848. The present buildings were inaugurated in 1922. Part of the station is a Grade II listed heritage building.
With some 88 million passengers a year, Waterloo is easily Britain's busiest railway station in terms of passenger throughput. The total number of people passing through the station is considerably greater, as this figure is based on ticket sales for London Waterloo alone and does not include usage data for the Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
and Waterloo East. The Waterloo complex is one of the busiest passenger terminals in Europe, comparable to the Gare Saint-Lazare
Gare Saint-Lazare
Paris Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
and second only to the Gare du Nord
Gare du Nord
Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
in Paris. It has more platforms and a greater floor area than any other station in the UK (but Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction railway station
Clapham Junction railway station is near St John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Although it is in Battersea, the area around the station is commonly identified as Clapham Junction....
, just under four miles (6 km) down the line, has the largest number of trains). It is the terminus of a network of railway lines in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, and the south-western suburbs of London.
While much of Waterloo's traffic is essentially local or suburban in character, there are also regular "main line" express services to longer-distance destinations, the most important of which are Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, and Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, all on the south coast.
History
The London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(L&SWR) opened the station on 11 July 1848 as 'Waterloo Bridge Station' (from the nearby crossing
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815...
over the Thames) when its main line was extended from Nine Elms
Nine Elms railway station
Nine Elms Railway Station in the London district of Battersea was opened on 21 May 1838 as the London terminus of the London & Southampton Railway which on the same day became the London and South Western Railway. The building in the neo-classical style was designed by Sir William Tite...
. Designed by William Tite
William Tite
Sir William Tite, CB was an English architect who served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was particularly associated with various London buildings, with railway stations and cemetery projects....
, it was raised above marshy ground on a series of arches. The unfulfilled intention was for a through station with services to the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. In 1886 it officially became 'Waterloo Station', reflecting long-standing common usage, even in some L&SWR timetables.
As the station grew, it became increasingly ramshackle. The original 1848 station became known as the 'Central Station' as other platforms were added. The new platform sets were known by nicknames - the two platforms added for suburban services in 1878 were the 'Cyprus Station', whilst the six built in 1885 for use by trains on the Windsor line became the 'Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
Station'. Each of these stations-within-a-station had its own booking office, Taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
stand and public entrances from the street, as well as often poorly marked and confusing access to the rest of the station. By 1899 Waterloo had 16 platform roads but only 10 platform numbers due to platforms in different sections of the station or on different levels sometimes duplicating the number of a platform elsewhere. A little-used railway line even crossed the main concourse on the level and passed through an archway in the station building to connect to the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
's smaller station, now Waterloo East
Waterloo East railway station
Waterloo East station, also known as London Waterloo East, is a railway station in central London on the line from through London Bridge to Kent. It is managed by Southeastern and is in Travelcard Zone 1...
, whose tracks lie perpendicular to those of Waterloo. Passengers were, not surprisingly, confused by the layout and by the two adjacent stations called 'Waterloo'. By 1897 there were also three separate (and separately-owned) Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
stations named 'Waterloo' under or close by the station, as well as the adjacent Necropolis Company station
London Necropolis railway station
London Necropolis railway station refers to two stations in Waterloo, London, which served successively as the London terminus of the London Necropolis Railway. The London Necropolis Railway was opened in 1854 as a reaction to severe overcrowding in London's existing graveyards and cemeteries...
. This complexity and confusion became the butt of jokes by writers and music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
comics for many years in the late 19th century. In Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat.Jerome was born in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was brought up in poverty in London...
's book Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat
Three Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
no one at Waterloo knows the wanted train's platform, departure time or destination.
In 1899 the L&SWR decided on a total rebuilding. Legal powers were granted that year, and extensive groundwork and slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
clearance were carried out until 1904, when construction on the terminus proper began. The new station was opened in stages, the first five new platforms opening in 1910. Construction continued sporadically throughout the First World War, and the new station finally opened in 1922 with 21 platforms and a concourse nearly 800 feet (250 m) long. The new station included a large stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
window depicting the L&SWR's company crest over the main road entrance, surrounded by a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
listing the counties
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
served by the railway (the latter survives today). These features were retained in the design despite the fact that by the time the station opened the 1921 Railway Act
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
had been passed which spelt the end of the L&SWR as an independent concern. The main pedestrian entrance, the Victory Arch (known as Exit 5), is a memorial to company staff who were killed during the two world wars. Damage to the station in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
required considerable repair but entailed no significant changes of layout.
A past curiosity of Waterloo was that a spur led to the adjoining dedicated station
London Necropolis railway station
London Necropolis railway station refers to two stations in Waterloo, London, which served successively as the London terminus of the London Necropolis Railway. The London Necropolis Railway was opened in 1854 as a reaction to severe overcrowding in London's existing graveyards and cemeteries...
of the London Necropolis Company
London Necropolis Company
The London Necropolis Company , formally the London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company until 1927, was a cemetery operator established by Act of Parliament in 1852 in reaction to the crisis caused by the closure of London's graveyards in 1851. The LNC intended to establish a single cemetery...
, from which funeral train
Funeral train
A funeral train is a train specially chartered in order to carry a coffin or coffins to a resting place. Funeral trains today are often reserved for leaders and national heroes, as part of a state funeral, but in the past were sometimes the chief means of transporting coffins and mourners to...
s, at one time daily, ran to Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe.-History:...
bearing coffins at 2/6 each. This station was destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Ownership of Waterloo underwent a succession, broadly typical of many British stations. Under the 1923 Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
it passed to the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
(SR), then in the 1948 nationalisation to British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways. Following the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
, ownership and management passed to Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
in April 1994 and finally in 2002 to Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
Platforms 20 and 21 were lost to the Waterloo International railway station
Waterloo International railway station
Waterloo International station was the London terminus of the Eurostar international rail service from its opening on 14 November 1994 until 13 November 2007. It stands on the western side of Waterloo railway station, London...
site, which from November 1994 to November 2007 was the London terminus of Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
international trains to Paris and Brussels. Construction necessitated the removal of decorative masonry forming two arches from that side of the station, bearing the legend "Southern Railway". This was re-erected at the private Fawley Hill Museum of Sir William McAlpine
Sir William McAlpine, 6th Baronet
Sir William Hepburn McAlpine, 6th Baronet , is a British millionaire businessman, a former director of the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine.-Biography:...
, whose company built Waterloo International. Waterloo International closed when the Eurostar service transferred to the new St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
with the opening of the second phase of "HS1", High Speed route 1, also known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link or CTRL. Ownership of the former Waterloo International terminal then passed to BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
BRB (Residuary) Ltd.
BRB Limited is the successor to the British Railways Board. It is a private company limited by shares, with 100% of the issued share capital owned by the Secretary of State for Transport.-Background:...
Station facilities
The major transport interchange at Waterloo comprises London Waterloo, Waterloo EastWaterloo East railway station
Waterloo East station, also known as London Waterloo East, is a railway station in central London on the line from through London Bridge to Kent. It is managed by Southeastern and is in Travelcard Zone 1...
, the Underground
Waterloo tube station
Waterloo tube station is a London Underground station located at Waterloo station. It is the second busiest station on the network and is served by the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern and the Waterloo & City lines...
station (which includes the Waterloo and City line to Bank, known informally as 'The Drain'), and several bus stops.
Waterloo station connects to Waterloo East, across Waterloo Road, by a high-level walkway constructed mostly above the bridge of the former little-used connecting curve.
London River Services
London River Services is a division of Transport for London , which manages passenger transport on the River Thames in London, UK. They do not own or operate any boats but license the services of other operators...
operate from nearby Waterloo Pier
Waterloo Millennium Pier
London Eye Pier is a pier on South Bank of the River Thames in Central London, UK, located directly in front of the London Eye....
next to the London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...
.
A large four-faced clock hangs in the middle of the main concourse. Meeting "under the clock at Waterloo" is a traditional rendezvous.
Police station
For many years until February 2009 there was a British Transport PoliceBritish Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
police station at Waterloo by the Victory Arch, with a custody suite of three cells. Although it was relatively cramped, until the late 1990s over 40 police officers operated from it.
Following the closure of the Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
Terminal at Waterloo, the police station closed in February 2009, and the railway station is now policed from a new Inner London Police Station a few yards from Waterloo at Holmes Terrace. Until July 2010, the Neighbourhood Policing Team for Waterloo consisted of an Inspector, Sergeant, two Constables, Special Constables
Special Constabulary
The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials.Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a special constabulary except the...
, and 13 PCSO
Police community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
s - this establishment was significantly increased by the introduction of the 'Neighbourhood Hub Team' at Waterloo, involving police officers from London Underground.
Transport links
London bus routes 1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243, 341, 381, 507, 521, RV1, X68 and night bus routes N1, N68, N76, N171, N343 and N381. Some buses call at stops by the side of the station on Waterloo Road, others at Tenison Way, a short distance from the Victory Arch. These stops replace a former bus station at the lower (Waterloo Road) level where there are now retail outlets and an expanded entrance to the Underground.Services
Waterloo has 19 terminal platforms in use, making it the joint biggest station in the UK in terms of platform numbers with London Victoria. The station is managed by Network Rail, and all trains are operated by South West TrainsSouth West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
Waterloo International
Waterloo International was the terminus for Eurostar international trains from 1994 until 2007, when they transferred to new international platforms at . Waterloo International's five platforms were numbered 20 to 24.
Waterloo East
Waterloo East is a through station, the last stop on the South Eastern Main Line before the terminus at Charing CrossCharing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
.
Waterloo Underground station
Waterloo is served by the BakerlooBakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
, Jubilee
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
, Northern
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
(Charing Cross branch) and Waterloo & City
Waterloo & City Line
The Waterloo & City line is a short underground railway line in London, which was formally opened on 11 July 1898. It has only two stations, Waterloo and Bank...
lines. It is one of only two London terminals without a close connection to the Circle Line, the other being London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
.
Retail balcony
Network Rail is constructing a balcony along almost the whole length of the concourse at the first-floor level. The project aims to provide 18 new retail spaces and a champagne bar, reduce congestion on the concourse, and improve access to Waterloo East station. Retail and catering outlets will move from the concourse into converted first-floor offices. Work is due to be completed in Spring 2012.Platform lengthening project
In order to increase capacity on South West Trains' overcrowded suburban services into Waterloo, there have for several years been plans to increase train lengths from 8 cars to 10. This would require the lengthening of platforms and in particular platforms 1 to 4, which will be a technically complex operation as it will entail a substantial repositioning of trackwork and points. SWT also says it would need to have access to at least three of the currently disused international platforms 20 to 24 (see below). Further progress depends on decisions by government, and SWT says that until then it cannot proceed with ordering longer trains.Former international platforms
However, the conversion of the remaining platforms has been delayed as it would require further alterations to the station infrastructure; the former Eurostar lines would now conflict with the Windsor line
Waterloo to Reading Line
The Waterloo to Reading Line is a National Rail suburban electric railway line running generally westwards from London, England. It is operated by South West Trains...
services, and it is proposed to build a flyover
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
. The cost of maintaining the disused platforms up to late 2010 was found via a Freedom of Information request to have been £4.1 million.
The project has been criticised for its delayed completion date; in 2009 the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
confirmed that Network Rail was developing High Level Output Specification options for the station, with an estimated date for the re-opening of the platforms of 2014, seven years after their closure.
From 4 July 2010 to 2 January 2011, two of the disused platforms are hosting a theatrical performance of The Railway Children
The Railway Children
The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906...
by E. Nesbit
E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television...
. The audience is seated either side of the actual railway track. The show included the use of a steam locomotive pulling one of the original carriages from the 1970s film (propelled by a diesel). The performance moved to London after two acclaimed summer runs at the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
in York.
Heathrow Airport links
Waterloo station is the central London terminus for the proposed Heathrow AirtrackHeathrow Airtrack
Heathrow Airtrack is a proposed railway link in west London, England, UK. The line as proposed by BAA, would have run from into central London and across the suburbs of south-west London. BAA announced that it was abandoning the project in April 2011...
rail service. This project, promoted by BAA, envisages the construction of a spur from the Waterloo to Reading Line
Waterloo to Reading Line
The Waterloo to Reading Line is a National Rail suburban electric railway line running generally westwards from London, England. It is operated by South West Trains...
to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to , and Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
. Airtrack is planned to open in 2015, subject to government approval.
Cultural references
The area took its name from the Battle of WaterlooBattle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. In the 1990s, after Waterloo station was chosen as the British terminus for the Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
train service, Florent Longuepée, a municipal councillor in Paris, wrote to the British Prime Minister requesting that the station be renamed because he said it was upsetting for the French to be reminded of Napoleon's defeat when they arrived in London by Eurostar. There is a name counterpart in Paris: the Gare d'Austerlitz
Gare d'Austerlitz
Paris Austerlitz is one of the six large terminus railway stations in Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine in the southeastern part of the city, in the XIIIe arrondissement...
is named after the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
, one of Napolean's greatest victories. However, this station is less important than most other stations in the city.
Film
- The opening scene of the 1943 film Miss London Ltd.Miss London Ltd.Miss London Ltd. is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, musical, war film, directed by Val Guest and starring Ronald Shiner as Sailor Meredith and Arthur Askey as Arthur Bowden...
features Anne Shelton as a singing track announcer who works for SR at Waterloo - Several scenes in the film Waterloo RoadWaterloo Road (film)Waterloo Road is a 1945 British film based on the Waterloo area of South London. It was directed by Sidney Gilliat.-Plot:John Mills plays an AWOL squaddie who returns to south London to save his wife from the advances of a philandering draft-dodger played by Stewart Granger.-Cast:* John Mills as...
were filmed at Waterloo in 1945 - The station is the subject of John SchlesingerJohn SchlesingerJohn Richard Schlesinger, CBE was an English film and stage director and actor.-Early life:Schlesinger was born in London into a middle-class Jewish family, the son of Winifred Henrietta and Bernard Edward Schlesinger, a physician...
's 1961 documentary film TerminusTerminus (film)Terminus is a 1961 British Transport Film documentary directed by John Schlesinger which presents a "fly-on-the-wall" look at an ordinary day at Waterloo Station in London. Along with most British Transport Films, it was produced by Edgar Anstey. It was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best... - Several scenes in The Bourne UltimatumThe Bourne Ultimatum (film)The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 American spy film directed by Paul Greengrass and loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same title. This film is the third in the Bourne film series, being preceded by The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy...
, starring Matt DamonMatt DamonMatthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
, were filmed with British actor Paddy ConsidinePaddy ConsidinePatrick George "Paddy" Considine is an English actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, musician and frequent collaborator with Shane Meadows. Best known to audiences for his portrayals of dark, troubled, morally or mentally ambiguous characters...
at Waterloo between October 2006 and April 2007 - Bollywood film Jhoom Barabar JhoomJhoom Barabar JhoomJhoom Barabar Jhoom is a 2007 Bollywood film starring Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. It is directed by Shaad Ali. The film is produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra under Yash Raj Films...
was filmed extensively within Waterloo and the storyline was set around two people awaiting passengers arriving at the station - Scenes for IncendiaryIncendiary (film)Incendiary is a 2008 British drama film portraying the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a football match. It is directed by Sharon Maguire and stars Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor, and Matthew Macfadyen. It is about an adulterous woman's life that is torn apart when her husband and...
were filmed at the station during April and May 2007 - The station has been used to shoot scenes for films including London to BrightonLondon to BrightonLondon to Brighton is a 2006 award-winning British film. The film was written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams.-Plot:The film opens with a woman and child, Kelly and Joanne, bursting into a London toilet. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye...
, Russian Dolls, FranklynFranklynFranklyn is a 2008 British film written and directed by Gerald McMorrow as his debut feature. Produced by Jeremy Thomas, it stars Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green and Sam Riley. Shooting took place in London in the fourth quarter of 2007. Franklyn held its world premiere at the 52nd London Film Festival...
, Breaking and EnteringBreaking and Entering (film)Gabriel Yared and Underworld collaborated on the film's original music score.-External links:* at TIFF, by Andrea Miller /CANOE Live...
and OutlawOutlaw (2007 film)Outlaw is a 2007 action-crime-drama film written and directed by British filmmaker Nick Love. Outlaw stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, Lennie James, Rupert Friend and Sean Harris.The film is set in the United Kingdom in 2006...
Television
Waterloo has frequently appeared in television productions, including Waking the DeadWaking the Dead (TV series)
Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series...
, The Commander, Spooks, The Apprentice, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Top Gear, and Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
.
Art
Two of the most famous images of the station are the two Southern Railway posters "Waterloo Station - War" and "Waterloo Station - Peace", painted by Helen McKieHelen McKie
Helen Madeleine McKie , artist and illustrator.After leaving Lambeth School of Art, Helen McKie became a member of staff to 'Bystander' magazine from 1915-1929. She was also a contributing artist to The Graphic, Sphere, Autocar, and Queen publications.She illustrated books, created mural designs,...
for the 1948 centenary of the station. The two pictures show hundreds of busy travellers all in exactly the same positions and poses, but with altered clothing and roles. The preparatory sketches for these were drawn between 1939 and 1942.
Other famous paintings of the station include the huge 1967 work by Terence Cuneo.
Books
- In Jerome K Jerome's 1889 comic novel, Three Men in a BoatThree Men in a BoatThree Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
, the protagonists spend some time in the station, trying to find their train to Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
. After being given contradictory information by every railway employee they speak to, they eventually bribe a train driver to take his train to their destination.
Music
- Waterloo and Waterloo Underground are the setting for the Kinks'The KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
song "Waterloo SunsetWaterloo SunsetWaterloo Sunset is a song by British rock band The Kinks. It was released as a single in 1967, and featured on their album Something Else by The Kinks...
", written by Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
and recorded in 1967. Its lyric describes two people (Terry and Julie, sometimes taken to refer to sixties icons Terence Stamp and Julie Christie.) meeting at Waterloo Station and crossing the river (via Waterloo Bridge, as Davies has confirmed). The song has been recorded by Cathy DennisCathy DennisCathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
and Def LeppardDef LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
: other acts, such as David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and Elliott SmithElliott SmithSteven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
, have covered the song in live performances - Adrian Evans wrote the song "London Waterloo", which is dedicated wholly to the station
- The lyrics in the 1979 song "Rendezvous 6:02" by British progressive band U.K. describe a meeting at Waterloo
- The lyrics to "Torn On The Platform" by Jack Peñate refer to the station ("train leaves at two, platform 3, Waterloo")
- Carl BaratCarl BarâtCarl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
's band Dirty Pretty ThingsDirty Pretty Things (band)Dirty Pretty Things were an English band fronted by Carl Barât, a member of The Libertines. The formation of the band was announced in September 2005, after a dispute between Barât and Pete Doherty led to the breakup of The Libertines in 2004. Barât had worked with Vertigo Records and had...
' debut album is called Waterloo to AnywhereWaterloo to AnywhereWaterloo to Anywhere is the debut album by English indie rock band Dirty Pretty Things, fronted by then former Libertine Carl Barât. The album was produced by Dave Sardy and Tony Doogan, and released on May 8, 2006 in the United Kingdom where it debuted at #3 in the UK Albums Chart .The album was... - The booklet accompanying The Who'sThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
album QuadropheniaQuadropheniaQuadrophenia is the sixth studio album by English rock band The Who. Released on 19 October 1973 by Track and Polydor in the UK, and Track and MCA in the US, it is a double album, and the group's second rock opera...
includes a photo of the album's protagonist on the steps of Waterloo, depicting a moment from the song 5:155:15"5.15" is a song written by Pete Townshend of British rock band The Who from their second rock opera, Quadrophenia... - The music video to 'West End GirlsWest End Girls"West End Girls" is a song by British pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. It is a synthpop song, influenced by hip hop music. The lyrics focus on class, and inner-city pressure, and were inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land...
' by the Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
was part filmed at Waterloo in the mid 1980s - AbbaAbbaABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
held a press photo shoot at Waterloo on 11 April 1974, the day after their first appearance on Top of the PopsTop of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, in celebration of their 'Waterloo' winning the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
five days before - Folksinger/comedian Les BarkerLes BarkerLes Barker is an English poet. He is best known for his comedic poetry and parodies of popular songs, however he has also produced some very serious thought-provoking written work....
wrote a lament for a lost commuter, "The Trains of Waterloo" which can be heard on the CD, "ORANGES AND LEMMINGS: The Mrs Ackroyd Band" with June TaborJune TaborJune Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...
doing the vocal.
External links
- Station information for Waterloo from Network RailNetwork RailNetwork Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
- Waterloo photo gallery on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- London Transport Museum Photographic Archive
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- Waterloo Station Central Telephone Enquiry Bureau (CTEB) History
- New Signalbox 1937 (post-electrification); article and photo
- http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3164