IMO people get a little too carried away when they see the old Eurostar platforms - there just isnt enough capacity or demand on the Windsor Lines to justify using them all, so they might as well be left mothballed until a viable scheme to increase capacity needs them.
...which is unlikely to be anytime soon im afraid, as its surburban services operating into the southern side of Waterloo that apparently have the greatest need for more, longer platforms.
Chris
It's obviously too simple just to move everyone up a couple of platforms and run the Reading line out of the Eurostar platforms instead of 19.
Okay - so if it's going to be decades before it can be used as a railway station, would it not be an idea to agree a 10-20 year lease with a supermarket? Far too good an asset to spend £1m/year mothballed indefinitely.
I agree the current situation is ridiculous though. I think international and the Linford Street viaduct should be used to divert some Victoria services into Waterloo. If capacity was freed up at Victoria, you could operate a Victoria to Battersea shuttle which would remove the need for the expensive Northern line extension.
Problem is access to Waterloo International from the Flyover is pretty much single track through Vauxhall - fine for a couple of E*s per hour but not for a more intensive Victoria service
IMO people get a little too carried away when they see the old Eurostar platforms - there just isnt enough capacity or demand on the Windsor Lines to justify using them all, so they might as well be left mothballed until a viable scheme to increase capacity needs them.
...which is unlikely to be anytime soon im afraid, as its surburban services operating into the southern side of Waterloo that apparently have the greatest need for more, longer platforms.
Good point. Perhaps as part of the redevelopment of Nine Elms, developers should have to contribute to a widening of the viaduct through Vauxhall rather than to the Northern line extension?
I thought the sleepers would be using the platforms, Thats what I overheard last Waterloo thread.
Thats what WE suggested in the last waterloo thread. Fact and what we suggest are two VERY VERY different things. Remember that.
Thats what WE suggested in the last waterloo thread. Fact and what we suggest are two VERY VERY different things. Remember that.
NR's published plans for the southern side of the station assume that platforms 1 and 2 cannot be lengthened for the 10 car main suburban lengthening, (Wimbledon routes) so they intend to close them and move all the normal station usage over by two platforms. That will take up at least 3 of the former Eurostar platforms, including P20 which is already planned to be used for aditional Windsor side peak trains from 2013 some time. It will also require a lot of work to replicate the current routes across the station throat into the platforms from the various lines.
But I read about a proposal to do just that in Rail magazine...
Don't think so, think Peter was talking about new rolling stock for the sleepers, think they still ran to their current route.Wasn't that Peter Mugridge's article on Sleepers? In which case that was a proposal from an enthusiast that was mostly aimed at starting a debate about the future direction of sleeper services. Not anything official.
Wasn't that Peter Mugridge's article on Sleepers? In which case that was a proposal from an enthusiast that was mostly aimed at starting a debate about the future direction of sleeper services. Not anything official.