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Waterloo Station Upgrade

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ijmad

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Oh nice photos. I will have to go check it out myself at some point.
 
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Goldfish62

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Lots of activity at Waterloo when I passed through yesterday afternoon - it looks like the undercroft area is about to open (maybe it is open today or Monday?). The whole area has been cleared, one flight of the stairs from the main concourse uncovered, and a small army of orange jackets were busy putting up barriers and new signs everywhere. Also the maps around the main station have been updated to show the new areas.

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I notice that there are toilets down there. Hopefully these will be in addition to and not instead of the current poor facilities, or if they do replace them that they're much larger.
 

swt_passenger

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Can’t help thinking that those stairs down from Orchestra Pit level to LU level are going to be a pinch point, tucked away in the corner like that. Will be interesting to see if they are peak flow direction only, cos it seems a bit low capacity compared to all the other new routes...
 

R G NOW.

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I am wondering why they used wood for the stairs? Especially after the fire at kings cross, where a wooden escalator caught fire.
 

Tio Terry

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I notice that there are toilets down there. Hopefully these will be in addition to and not instead of the current poor facilities, or if they do replace them that they're much larger.

Or is it just a passageway to the existing facilities?
 

swt_passenger

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Or is it just a passageway to the existing facilities?
It’s a large new area extending along under the line of P21/22 in the planning application. I’d expect it’s behind both the stairs and the eventual shops in the central passageway. Exactly as the NR plan showed anyway, which I really should have noticed.
 
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kev1974

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I am wondering why they used wood for the stairs? Especially after the fire at kings cross, where a wooden escalator caught fire.

Yes as others have said it's just site protection, it's only on the flights of stairs that aren't opening yet for some reason. The entire orchestra pit area floor was covered in the same wood until a week or so ago.

Re the toilets, they look like they are all-new, according to the map that I also posted - the two sets appear to have slightly different facilities in them on that map. Can't see yet whether they are still going to charge for the toilets.
 

ijmad

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Re the toilets, they look like they are all-new, according to the map that I also posted - the two sets appear to have slightly different facilities in them on that map. Can't see yet whether they are still going to charge for the toilets.

Network Rail stated last year that they would remove all toilet charges at some point this year. Would be surprising if they installed coin barriers with the knowledge they'd be taken out of service within 10 months, although with NR who knows, the contract for putting the barriers in could have been signed long before the policy change I guess!
 

Goldfish62

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Network Rail stated last year that they would remove all toilet charges at some point this year. Would be surprising if they installed coin barriers with the knowledge they'd be taken out of service within 10 months, although with NR who knows, the contract for putting the barriers in could have been signed long before the policy change I guess!
All charges will be removed by 1 April. It's already happened at Victoria, Charing Cross, London Bridge and Clapham Junction.
 

reytomas1228

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I notice that for platforms 1-19, the map specifies peak-hour access only for the staircases leading to the subway, as per usual. However, for the ex-Eurostar terminal, there is no specified time restriction for accessing the Waterloo & City line via lift. Does this suggest the connection will be open all day?
 

Class 170101

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I notice that for platforms 1-19, the map specifies peak-hour access only for the staircases leading to the subway, as per usual. However, for the ex-Eurostar terminal, there is no specified time restriction for accessing the Waterloo & City line via lift. Does this suggest the connection will be open all day?

Can see how allowing access to / from Waterloo and City at peak times via this route would be acceptable if its the PRM access point for said line.
 

swt_passenger

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Can see how allowing access to / from Waterloo and City at peak times via this route would be acceptable if its the PRM access point for said line.
Surely peak opening is the certainty, the question was more about offpeak? It would be odd to have peak only PRM access...
 
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ijmad

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All the construction equipment and coverings have now been removed from the undercroft area now - looks very very close to opening. Just some temporary fencing blocking passenger access. Suspect it may be opening imminently, perhaps even this weekend?
 

SWT_USER

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Noticed this week there appears to be a problem with the main departure boards on the P20-24 concourse- they don't display a platform number - just 'preparing', leaving passengers to work out for themselves which train is theirs. The screens on the platform seem to work fine though.
 

ijmad

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Noticed this week there appears to be a problem with the main departure boards on the P20-24 concourse- they don't display a platform number - just 'preparing', leaving passengers to work out for themselves which train is theirs. The screens on the platform seem to work fine though.

Am I too quick to ponder if that's part of some hare-brained crowd management scheme to get people to walk up via any route because they don't know which will be closest to their train? Probably not.

I'm guessing it's still not open?
 
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When I have been there just before a platform is allocated it says "preparing" but it does display the platform number later.
 

Goldfish62

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When I have been there just before a platform is allocated it says "preparing" but it does display the platform number later.
That's a bit confusing given that the platform screens show the service while it displays "preparing" on the main departure screen.
 

Bessie

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Used Platform 21 yesterday in morning rush hour. Doesn’t seem to have been much progress in last fortnight on the under-croft. Are there plans for some kind of grand opening in connection with the May timetable perhaps?
 

reytomas1228

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Surely they must be close to opening it seeing as they've replaced the station maps to show the "orchestra pit" level and lift access to the W&C line.
 

ijmad

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Maybe there's some last minute gremlins, something with lights, or displays, or escalators... who can say.
 

ijmad

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So nearly a month after the concourse looked nearly ready to open, I think it's still not open? Right?
 

Goldfish62

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So nearly a month after the concourse looked nearly ready to open, I think it's still not open? Right?
No, but it looks like the new ground level entrance is nearly done and that may well be the trigger to open it.

On another matter, Waterloo toilets are now free. I thinks that's all the London termini done now.
 

ijmad

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No, but it looks like the new ground level entrance is nearly done and that may well be the trigger to open it.

On another matter, Waterloo toilets are now free. I thinks that's all the London termini done now.

They were tweeting out that it would be open 'soon' a month ago. I asked them if this was still the case, no reply. Perhaps plans have changed (they've decided the ground level entrance is necessary as you say, perhaps for customer flow or evacuation reasons?) or there have been last minute graemlins with electricals or water ingress preventing the opening. I'm just guessing!
 
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