Final work gets under way in December to complete the installation of ticket gates on all platforms at London Waterloo, reports William Higgins
Something big is about to happen at London Waterloo. From early December, the station will begin to shed the grey hoardings at the platform entrances and emerge as the gateway to the South West with the longest gate line in Europe.
In a few weeks a total of 148 automatic ticket gates will be installed across 19 platforms as well as in the subway from the platforms to the Tube, which is open during peak times. The largest project of its kind in Europe will give you a modern start or end to your travelling experience. Gates are being installed in stages throughout the month with all platforms expected to be gated before Christmas and operational for the start of the new year. But despite the size and scale of the project, rail services will not be affected—the programme is being carefully phased to avoid disruption to passengers. Another great benefit the gates will bring is the additional staff who will operate the gates and assist passengers as well.
The project is led by Network Rail in cooperation with South West Trains. Work started in February 2008, and since then engineers and workmen have been busy behind the scenes laying underground cables and system infrastructure ready for the gates to be fitted.
When the hoardings are taken down, they will reveal not only an array of new state-of-the-art ticket gates but also a view of the platform area from the concourse that has been concealed for years.
“It will be quite dramatic,” says Peter Hurst, Network Rail Station Manager for Waterloo. “There will be nothing to interrupt the view of trains and platforms, which should add something to the atmosphere of the station.”
page 1 of 3 