Public Telephones - London Waterloo station

[overtonchris]

Hi Folks.

My mobile died a nasty death last Friday and I needed to make an urgent phone call from London Waterloo. I did the usual "look for signs and have a wander around" and was surprised that no public phone was in evidence. I then asked the PCSO that was patrolling the station where I could make a call from with the response "dunno mate, I don't normally work this station". Mmmm. Asked the guy in the Information Kiosk - he advised it was on platform 13 "line side".

So, I trot up to the fellow on the gate and said I need to use the 'phone (which I could now see) and after going through a lengthy and rather stupid conversation with him (mainly with me feeling that he thought I was trying to free board a train - when he could easily see the 'phone from where he was positioned!!) and achieved the dirty deed to the tune of 60p for about 30 seconds!!!

I'd like to know where all the 'phones went and why (I can feel "cost" coming on)...and if anyone else has had similar experiences on this or any other large station complex. Also WHY ON EARTH would they keep ONE phone on the business side of the gateline??? Intrigued.

.....and there's the issue with the Gent's loos. Easy access? Not on your Nelly!

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Simple reason for not allowing you through the barrier line, is the potential for ticketless travel & as all barriers are covered by CCTV,most of the barrier line staff aren't going to take chances.

Most payphones are loss making,not many calls are made and so they were removed from the concourse to increase the amount of floor space for passengers an minimise congestion.

 

[Squaddie]

...and achieved the dirty deed to the tune of 60p for about 30 seconds!!!

60p seems a very reasonable amount to have to pay to make a phone call in an emergency. Hardly anyone uses public phones now, and the cost of maintaining them must be substantial.

 

[Be3G]

There're more public telephones at Waterloo station than I think people realise – or at least there used to be (it's been a few years since I used the station regularly). I suppose it just shows how infrequently people need them now and therefore how little the phones are noticed. There's a telephone on each platform island behind the gateline (not just 13/14), there're some just outside the station by a couple of the exits, and also I seem to recall a couple by the Jubilee line ticket hall too.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

According to the official plan, there are eight pairs of public phones on the station.

They are all inside the gate line, and are between platforms 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 13/14, 15/16 and 17/18. There are no public phones anywhere in the concourse.

I think that you'd probably have to go out into Waterloo Road to find a public phone -although I'm not sure where.

 

[overtonchris]

Simple reason for not allowing you through the barrier line, is the potential for ticketless travel & as all barriers are covered by CCTV,most of the barrier line staff aren't going to take chances.

Most payphones are loss making,not many calls are made and so they were removed from the concourse to increase the amount of floor space for passengers an minimise congestion.

This just doesn't stack up as an argument....I HAD a valid ticket for travel from that station - but not for that platform - and I showed my ticket....

Yep, I don't know whether your statement of pay phones making a loss is right or wrong, but why retain one on the "wrong side of the gateline" and make it difficult to access then?

Come on now.... the amount of space that would be taken up for a couple of telephone booths on the entire concourse would be inconvenient to anyone???? Ludicrous.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

As Squaddie said, hardly anyone uses payphones now, the only ones I know that do are foreigners. I seldom see a Brit use one as most have mobiles.

It's true the concourse was cleared of most things to maximise the available space for passengers, which isn't a bad idea considering that Waterloo is the busiest station in the UK for passengers.

If you don't like the concept of not having a set of payphones on the concourse I suggest that instead of griping about it here you complain directly to BT, NR & SWT.

Thanks.

 

[overtonchris]

According to the official plan, there are eight pairs of public phones on the station.

They are all inside the gate line, and are between platforms 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 13/14, 15/16 and 17/18. There are no public phones anywhere in the concourse.

I think that you'd probably have to go out into Waterloo Road to find a public phone -although I'm not sure where.

Just picked up on this......I'm going to have a look next time I'm up in the smoke re this, just out of interest. I've only posted "what I'd been advised to do....." late, on one rather stressful evening.....and I bet I'm not the only person to have been "caught out' though....Bloody phone will be up and running next time!!!!

Thank You.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

As Squaddie said, hardly anyone uses payphones now, the only ones I know that do are foreigners. I seldom see a Brit use one as most have mobiles.

It's true the concourse was cleared of most things to maximise the available space for passengers, which isn't a bad idea considering that Waterloo is the busiest station in the UK for passengers.

If you don't like the concept of not having a set of payphones on the concourse I suggest that instead of griping about it here you complain directly to BT, NR & SWT.

Thanks.

Harley - thanks. It wasn't intended so much as as a "gripe" as a comment - and YES I've now e-mailed SWT (not that that will get me far)......but this is a public forum apparently

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Just picked up on this......I'm going to have a look next time I'm up in the smoke re this, just out of interest. I've only posted "what I'd been advised to do....." late, on one rather stressful evening.....and I bet I'm not the only person to have been "caught out' though....Bloody phone will be up and running next time!!!!

Thank You.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Harley - thanks. It wasn't intended so much as as a "gripe" as a comment - and YES I've now e-mailed SWT (not that that will get me far)......but this is a public forum apparently

Sorry for being a bit short. Just a bit knackered at the moment after a week of silly o'clock in the morning turns.

 

[overtonchris]

Sorry for being a bit short. Just a bit knackered at the moment after a week of silly o'clock in the morning turns.

No worries mate..... had a bit of that myself. Thanks for the comment though!

 

[Abpj17]

People don't use them. I'd guess the line side ones are less prone to vandalism...

 

[edwin_m]

There should be an app to tell people where the nearest payphone is.

 

[westv]

I can't imagine phones takes up that much floor space - a lot less than "retail opportunities"!

 

[HarleyDavidson]

I can't imagine phones takes up that much floor space - a lot less than "retail opportunities"!

Ah, but "retail opportunities" earn more money in an hour than a payphone will in months, because of the rental & other fees.

 

[Be3G]

According to the official plan, there are eight pairs of public phones on the station.

Whilst I know you're not saying it does, for the benefit of readers I'll just point out that this doesn't contradict the advice I gave re. there being one in the Jubilee line ticket hall, as the plan doesn't show that (well, it shows a bit of it). The others I mentioned are just outside the station.

To be honest (not aimed at you EbbwJunction1), I don't see what the fuss is about – OK, it's technically not the NR concourse, but the Jubilee line ticket hall is only an escalator down from the rail concourse, and there's no need to go outside and get wet or anything. Unless those phones have been removed too?

 

[jopsuk]

it isn't just about space. Payphones require maintainence, they require a power supply and a connection to the phone network. All of this is an ongoing cost, one borne by the payphone operator. That would be fine is the things actually made money!

 

[AmeralGunson]

There should be an app to tell people where the nearest payphone is.

That'll be an App on a mobile telephone that the potential user of the public payphone hasn't got which is why he's looking for a public payphone.

 

[PermitToTravel]

 

[HarleyDavidson]

There should be an app to tell people where the nearest payphone is.

That's class... Real class.

 

[Antman]

Hi Folks.

My mobile died a nasty death last Friday and I needed to make an urgent phone call from London Waterloo. I did the usual "look for signs and have a wander around" and was surprised that no public phone was in evidence. I then asked the PCSO that was patrolling the station where I could make a call from with the response "dunno mate, I don't normally work this station". Mmmm. Asked the guy in the Information Kiosk - he advised it was on platform 13 "line side".

So, I trot up to the fellow on the gate and said I need to use the 'phone (which I could now see) and after going through a lengthy and rather stupid conversation with him (mainly with me feeling that he thought I was trying to free board a train - when he could easily see the 'phone from where he was positioned!!) and achieved the dirty deed to the tune of 60p for about 30 seconds!!!

I'd like to know where all the 'phones went and why (I can feel "cost" coming on)...and if anyone else has had similar experiences on this or any other large station complex. Also WHY ON EARTH would they keep ONE phone on the business side of the gateline??? Intrigued.

.....and there's the issue with the Gent's loos. Easy access? Not on your Nelly!

Well firstly the PCSO should have addressed you as 'sir' and not 'mate':cry:!

I'm sure we all need a phone box now and again, battery died or no calling credit etc, and they are few and far between, oh and 60p gets you quite a bit of time if you're calling a landline.

I'm not sure what can be done to make the gents toilets accesible? Are there any others on the station?

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Whilst I know ........ are just outside the station.

To be honest (not aimed at you EbbwJunction1), I don't see .......... those phones have been removed too?

No worries and no offence taken!

 

[dvboy]

it isn't just about space. Payphones require maintainence, they require a power supply and a connection to the phone network. All of this is an ongoing cost, one borne by the payphone operator. That would be fine is the things actually made money!

They also cost money to be removed so it's a question of balance.

 

[Rick1984]

on a similar vain, at Glasgow Queen st. the only ATM is platform side, requiring the same negotiation to use. (we had disembarked and already gone through the gate not realising this was the case.

 

[Howardh]

As an aside, I went to spain and my mobile died on arrival. It was cheaper to buy a phone there (e.30,-) and put e.20,- to cover the holiday than make a call home once every day. Still got the phone but, er, have forgotton the 4-fig code to get in!!!

 

[HowardGWR]

Just out of interest,we just came back from two weeks abroad and we didn't use our phones at all, let alone every day and certainly not to phone anyone in England. I tell a lie, on the last night we set the alarm on one so we would get up on time.

What do people talk about on trains in their phone? I just hear 'I'm on the train' etc. What is the need and in any case, there is text for a short message. One can always borrow someone else's too, if one's own has conked out? That's what I do.

 

[3141]

Going back to the start of this thread, it's useful to have been told that there's a public phone in the Jubilee Line concourse, but the OP didn't know that when his mobile died. It would be useful if there were signs at Waterloo, which were easy to see, to let people know where the public phones are situated. There always used to be such signs at any largish station. It may not be far from the main concourse down to the Jubilee Line area, but if you need to phone, and you don't know where the nearest payphone is, you don't really want to set off on a tour of exploration in the hope that you'll eventually find one.

 

[edwin_m]

It's a question of how important a payphone is relative to all the other things that people might be looking for. Several posters have pointed out how little they are used these days, and to provide signs for absolutely everything would just be confusing. Probably the right answer is what has actually happened - provide a highly visible information desk and make sure they know where all the less-used facilities are.

 

[Tio Terry]

Many years ago - I think it was 1986 but I'm not absolutely sure - we had to get cables to the position of the current payphones on the platforms for the launch of the Mercury Payphones that were to be provided in competition with BT. The first call from one was made by Margaret Thatcher.

We had one hell of a job getting cables to the correct locations within the timescale - obviously, there was no chance of not getting it done on time! We had to gain access to a lot of the arches that Waterloo stands on, many of these were locked and nobody seemed to know who "owned" them, so we went around with a team of E&P, S&T, Civils and Station staff, if we couldn't find who owned a particular arch we cut off the locks to gain access. We got quite a surprise in some, spares for by then replaced pneumatic signalling system, a quantity of leather inlay Oak Desks which, we were told, had been stored there at the outbreak of WW2 and had been forgotten. A load of British Transport Commission stationery, and some were totally empty. Those towards the Country end had large amounts of soil in them which we were led to believe came from the London end because they had nowhere to put it during construction of the station.

For all our efforts Mercury gave me a credit card sized card that could be used in their phones to make calls, you could pre-pay on them a bit like an Oyster card, but this one was never ending, it was an Engineers card. I've still got it, but, of course, there are no longer any Mercury Payphones for me to use it in!

 

[Busaholic]

For all our efforts Mercury gave me a credit card sized card that could be used in their phones to make calls, you could pre-pay on them a bit like an Oyster card, but this one was never ending, it was an Engineers card. I've still got it, but, of course, there are no longer any Mercury Payphones for me to use it in!

The Story of Capitalism encapsulated in two sentences!