112-461: The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south western suburbs of London and the conurbations based on Southampton and Bournemouth . It runs through the counties of Surrey , Hampshire and Dorset . It forms
224-432: A Class 456 electric multiple unit collided with an engineers' train at the station. The passenger train was derailed, causing disruption for the remainder of the day. Three people were checked for injuries, but nobody was hospitalised. The cause was both a change to the interlocking, that failed to be accounted for in the test regime and that a temporary connection for testing had not been removed (probably added to overcome
336-406: A M7 class tank engine was pushing loaded coal wagons onto it. The engine dropped into the hoist's shaft , ending up upside-down and spurting steam over it. The driver and fireman managed to jump free, and the locomotive was rescued piecemeal and used for spares. On 3 June 1960, an empty stock train formed of two 4COR electric multiple units overran signals and was in a sidelong collision with
448-517: A push-pull system. One or two 4-TC units would be propelled from London to Bournemouth by a 4-REP unit, controlled from the leading cab of the former. At Bournemouth, one or both of the 4-TCs would continue over the unelectrified line to Weymouth hauled by a Class 33/1 diesel locomotive. Trains from Weymouth would follow the same procedure in reverse. Electrification of the South West Main Line between Bournemouth and Weymouth
560-461: A steam-hauled passenger train that was departing for Weymouth , Dorset . A few people suffered slight injuries. On 11 April the following year, an electric multiple unit overran signals and was in a head-on collision with a steam locomotive . One person was killed and fifteen were injured. On 10 March 2000, a passenger train collided with an empty stock train in platform 5 due to driver error. Thirty-five people were injured. On 15 August 2017,
672-492: A viaduct of 290 arches , which followed a sinuous path to avoid encroaching on Vauxhall Gardens , the local gas works, and Lambeth Palace . The new terminus, designed by Tite and with four platforms, was initially known by a variety of names including York Road, Waterloo Bridge and Waterloo. On the day that Waterloo was opened, the Nine Elms terminus closed to passengers and was replaced by Vauxhall station. In February 1844,
784-550: A branch to Camberley and Aldershot, which was designed equally for the anticipated increase in military traffic in the area as well as commuters. Waterloo was bombed several times during World War II . On 7 September 1940, the John Street viaduct immediately outside the station was destroyed by a bomb, which prevented any services running for 12 days. Full services did not resume until 1 October, which particularly affected mail traffic with over 5,000 unsorted bags piling up on
896-454: A cost of £800,000–£900,000. A formal ceremony to mark the start of construction took place at Shapley Heath, near Winchfield , on 6 October 1834, and the contracts for the earthworks and bridges had been let by the end of that month. Giles's strategy was to use numerous small-scale, local contractors, with work taking place simultaneously on multiple sites along the route. By February 1836, just under 10 mi (16 km) had been finished, with
1008-475: A dedicated building in 1902, as part of the reconstruction of Waterloo in the early 20th century. Traffic and passengers to Waterloo increased throughout the century, and Waterloo was extended in an ad hoc manner to accommodate this. In 1860, new platforms were added on the northwest side of the station; these were known as the Windsor Station after its intended destination. An additional dock siding of
1120-476: A departing passenger train. Five passengers were injured. On 5 May 1904, a linesman accidentally stepped on a signal wire. This gave a false clear signal to a goods van, which collided with a passenger train, killing one, while on 25 October 1913, a collision between two passenger trains at Waterloo Junction killed three people. On 13 April 1948, the goods hoist to the Waterloo and City line began to sink while
1232-582: A false feed to the detection relay. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation into the accident concluded that mistakes were made similar to those which caused the Clapham Junction rail crash in 1988. The RAIB expressed concerns that lessons learnt from that accident were being forgotten over time. The major transport interchange at Waterloo comprises London Waterloo, Waterloo East, Waterloo Underground station , and several bus stops. There are more than 130 automated ticket gates on
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#17327653282801344-496: A fifth track to the four-track stretch of line between Clapham Junction and Surbiton. This was found to be feasible within the existing land (rail corridor), and was seen as the most practicable way of providing more capacity on the route. It would permit up to eight additional trains to run in the peak hour, for a maximum of 32 trains in this stretch. The scheme would also entail more flexible track use, modifying one Windsor Line track to permit use by mainline trains. Options rejected in
1456-419: A further 12 mi (19 km) completed by the end of August 1936. Shareholder dissatisfaction with progress led to Giles's resignation on 13 January 1837 and his replacement by Joseph Locke . Locke assessed the progress of the construction works and estimated that around £1.7 million (£200 million in 2023) would be required to complete the line. He dismissed many of the smaller contractors, awarding much of
1568-508: A group of Dorset businessmen, led by Charles Castleman , a solicitor from Wimbourne , proposed a railway line linking Southampton to Dorchester. Surveyed by William Moorsom , the Southampton and Dorchester Railway (S&DR) was to take an indirect route to serve as many towns as possible, and its sinuous nature gave rise to the nickname "Castleman's Corkscrew". In particular the line would run via Ringwood , bypassing Bournemouth, which
1680-472: A joint opening ceremony with Queen Elizabeth II and the French president François Mitterrand . Regular services began on 14 November. 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. In
1792-519: A new station at Waterloo Bridge was authorised. Three years later, the company acquired the Richmond and West End Railway, which had been authorised to build its own tracks alongside the London–Southampton line between Clapham Junction and Waterloo. Construction of the line north of Nine Elms, known initially as the "Metropolitan extension", began on 11 July 1848. The four-track line was carried on
1904-480: A pair of "slow" tracks to the east with the two "fast" tracks on the western side. This arrangement continues to north of Wimbledon where a flyover transfers the northbound slow line across the fast lines, leaving the inner tracks being used for the fast services and the stopping services using the outer tracks. This arrangement continues to Worting Junction , just after Basingstoke . Many stations on this section had island platforms which have since been removed - this
2016-490: A push-pull modification of 33/0. The Class 12 shunters were air brake fitted and intended as depot shunters and station pilots. The de-icing units were formed of three pairs of 2-Hal and 4-Lav EMU motor coaches coupled back to back and adapted for electro-pneumatic brakes. In later days, there were several changes to allocations and formations. From then until 1988, trains on the Bournemouth to Weymouth section operated
2128-602: A railway line linking London and Southampton was published on 23 October 1830 by a group chaired by the Southampton MP Abel Rous Dottin . The following February, Francis Giles was commissioned to survey the route and a formal scheme, which also included the construction of new docks on the Solent , was presented at a public meeting on 6 April 1831. Giles, who was familiar with the west Surrey and north Hampshire area, having worked as an engineer for
2240-593: A section of South West Main Line to access Southampton. In particular, the London Waterloo – Weymouth services run on the whole length of South West Main Line, and other intercity services which run on a significant portion of the line include Other services from London Waterloo also run on a section of South West Main Line, except those run on Waterloo–Reading line towards the direction of Richmond . In July 2011, Network Rail in its London & South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) recommended adding
2352-580: A station at Farnborough, opened on 24 September 1838. On 14 June 1839, the London and Southampton Railway adopted the new name of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). Four days earlier, the first trains had run from Winchester to a temporary terminus north of Southampton at Northern Road (now Northam). The extension from Shapley Heath to Basingstoke also opened on 10 June 1839, and the section between Basingstoke and Winchester, which required three tunnels,
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#17327653282802464-483: A succession, broadly typical of many British stations. Under the 1923 Grouping it passed to the Southern Railway (SR). The SR continued the third rail electrification of lines from Waterloo, including a full service to Guildford on 12 July 1925, and to Windsor on 6 July 1930. A public address system first ran in Waterloo on 9 March 1932, and by the following decade was regularly broadcasting music around
2576-518: A sword and torch, and "1918" showing Pax, the goddess of Peace sitting on Earth. The LSWR began to look at electrification of suburban services during the 1910s, using a 600 volt DC third rail mechanism. The first such service to Wimbledon via East Putney opened on 25 October 1915, with services to Shepperton following on 30 January 1916, the Hounslow Loop Line on 12 March and Hampton Court on 18 June. Ownership of Waterloo underwent
2688-621: Is double track . A couple of miles from the Waterloo terminus, the line runs briefly alongside the Brighton Main Line west branch out of London Victoria , including through Clapham Junction – the busiest station in Europe by railway traffic. The oldest part of the line, in the London Borough of Lambeth , was used from 1994 to 2007 by Eurostar trains running out of Waterloo International . The first written proposal for
2800-464: Is London Waterloo, and appears as such on all official documentation. It has the station code WAT. It is in the London Borough of Lambeth on the south bank of the River Thames , close to Waterloo Bridge and northeast of Westminster Bridge . The main entrance is to the south of the junction of Waterloo Road and York Road . It is named after the eponymous bridge, which itself was named after
2912-816: Is a major London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth . It is connected to a London Underground station of the same name and is adjacent to Waterloo East station on the South Eastern Main Line . The station is the terminus of the South West Main Line to Weymouth via Southampton , the West of England main line to Exeter via Salisbury ,
3024-684: Is also the junction for the Fareham line . The line returns to double track until St Denys where the West Coastway Line trails in. At Northam the original route to Southampton Terminus carries on south towards Eastern Docks and the main route curves west to enter a tunnel through to Southampton Central station. The line remains double-tracked most of the way to Weymouth , but there is a single-track section between Moreton and Dorchester South which constrains capacity. The Surrey section, about half of which has become Greater London ,
3136-499: Is evident with wide gaps between station platforms at stations such as Winchfield . The island platforms survive at New Malden , Esher and Walton-on-Thames , although mothballed and out of use. The line continues as double-track to Winchester but expands to three tracks through Shawford station with one up platform and fast and slow down platforms. There are four tracks from Shawford to Eastleigh . The line from Romsey via Chandler's Ford trails in just north of Eastleigh which
3248-485: Is in London fare zone 1 . Waterloo has been Britain's busiest railway station by patronage, with just under 100 million National Rail passenger entries/exits in 2015–16. Waterloo railway station alone is the 91st-busiest in the world as of 2013. However, including National Rail interchanges, the Underground station, and Waterloo East, the complex handled a total of 211 million arrivals and departures in
3360-494: 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, a sergeant, two constables, special constables , and 13 police community support officers . A large number of London Buses routes serve the station area day and night. A bus station on Waterloo Road located opposite
3472-471: The BFI IMAX was opened in summer 2004. The main part of the railway station complex is known as "Waterloo Main" or simply Waterloo. This is the London terminus for services towards the south coast and the south-west of England. All regular trains are operated by South Western Railway . Waterloo main line station is one of nineteen in the country that are managed by Network Rail and the station complex
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3584-488: The Basingstoke Canal , examined potential routes via Guildford and Farnham . However, his favoured alignment, via Basingstoke, was chosen to facilitate a future western branch to Bath and Bristol . His detailed survey was published on 5 December 1833 and the construction of the line from London to Southampton was approved in the London and South Western Railway Act 1834 on 25 July the following year. Under
3696-508: The Battle of Waterloo , a battle that occurred exactly two years prior to the opening ceremony for the bridge. Waterloo was built by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). It was not designed to be a terminus , but a stop on an extension towards the City. It replaced the earlier Nine Elms , which opened on 21 May 1838 and had connected London to Southampton since 11 May 1840. By
3808-563: The City of London . The L&SWR purchased several properties along the route, before plans were cancelled following the Panic of 1847 . In October 1882, Waterloo Bridge station was officially renamed Waterloo, reflecting long-standing common usage, even in some L&SWR timetables. Throughout the 19th century, the L&;SWR aimed to extend its main line eastward beyond into the City of London, and
3920-582: The Portsmouth Direct line to Portsmouth Harbour which connects with ferry services to the Isle of Wight , and several commuter services around west and south-west London, Surrey , Hampshire and Berkshire . The station was opened in 1848 by the London and South Western Railway , and it replaced the earlier Nine Elms as it was closer to the West End . It was never designed to be a terminus, as
4032-487: The West End via an underground railway since the 1860s. The Waterloo & Whitehall Railway began construction of a line towards Whitehall , but it was abandoned in 1868 because of financial difficulties. The first underground line to be opened at Waterloo was the Waterloo & City Railway to Bank , colloquially known as "The Drain" owing to its access via a sloping subway at the Bank end. It opened on 8 August 1898, and
4144-548: The neoclassical style was designed by Sir William Tite . The station was inconveniently situated for travel to central London, with the necessity to complete the journey by road or by the steam boats connecting the station to points between Vauxhall and London Bridge. The station was closed to passengers from 11 July 1848 when the L&SWR opened its metropolitan extension, the Nine Elms to Waterloo Viaduct from Nine Elms to Waterloo (then called Waterloo Bridge Station), and
4256-454: The "Cyprus Station", and the six built in 1885 for use by trains on the Windsor line became the "Khartoum". 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 platforms but only 10 numbers allocated in different sections of
4368-564: The 108 mi (174 km) between the capital and Bournemouth. Portion working was instituted, allowing trains to split at Brockenhurst, with the front sections running as express services to Weymouth and the rear sections operating as local stopping trains to Bournemouth. The Holes Bay Curve, authorised by the South Western Railway Act 1890 , was constructed by Lucas and Aird and opened on 1 June 1893. The new link allowed London-Weymouth trains to bypass Ringwood, taking
4480-701: The 2015/2016 financial year (not including interchanges on the Underground). It is therefore the busiest transport hub in Europe. It has more platforms and a greater floor area than any other station in the UK (though Clapham Junction , just under 4 miles (6 km) down the line, sees the greatest number of passengers alighting or departing trains). As of 2017, the South Western Railway run around 1,600 trains per day, used by over 651,000 passengers, making it Europe's busiest commuter service. According to
4592-419: The City. An overhead line was proposed in 1882, and again in 1891, but both times was rejected due to cost. In 1893, an act was passed for a tube railway. On 8 August 1898, the company opened the Waterloo & City line , a deep level underground railway that ran directly between Waterloo and Bank–Monument station in the City. This gave the company the direct commuter service it had long desired (albeit with
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4704-592: The Estimates of Station Usage, there were 94,192,690 entries and exits at Waterloo during 2018–19, continuing to be the highest in the country. Along with other stations, usage dropped dramatically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2019, Waterloo was the busiest railway station in the UK, with an estimated 86.9 million passenger entries/exits. It had been the busiest in the country for 16 consecutive years until patronage fell 86% in 2020/21 to 12.2 million due to
4816-616: The GWR in 1850, was laid with dual-gauge track between Dorchester and Weymouth to allow both companies' trains to operate. The first trains ran over the new line on 20 January 1857, although trains to and from Weymouth could not call at the LSWR's Dorchester station without reversal. The section of the South West Main Line between Christchurch and Bournemouth was built as part of the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway. The company had opened
4928-457: The LSWR in July 1871. The extension to Bournemouth West , including an intermediate station at Parkstone, opened on 15 June 1874. By 1881, the population of Bournemouth had reached 17,000. The town was served by two stations, neither of which was in the town centre. The LSWR proposed a new station, adjacent to the town hall , on a new railway between the two existing facilities. Local opposition to
5040-599: The LSWR proposed a rival scheme, the Salisbury & Dorsetshire Railway, which would have paralleled much of Castleman's line. Both proposals were considered by the Board of Trade , which favoured the S&;DR, but which also indicated that the route should be standard gauge. The LSWR agreed to lease Castleman's line for an annual sum of £20,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million in 2023). The Southampton and Dorchester Railway Act 1845
5152-561: The RUS as not viable included double-deck trains, building a flyover at Woking, and introducing 12- or 16-car trains. There are seven Grade II-listed stations on the South West Main Line: Other listed buildings and structures associated with the South West Main Line include (all Grade II-listed): London Waterloo station Waterloo station ( / ˌ w ɔː t ər ˈ l uː / ), also known as London Waterloo ,
5264-670: The South West Main Line at Woking, opened on 5 May 1845 and was extended to Godalming on 15 October 1849. The line to Richmond was opened on 27 July 1846 and was extended to Windsor on 1 December 1849. The branch to Chertsey opened in February 1848 and the branch to Hampton Court opened in February 1949. On 13 November 1854, the London Necropolis Company opened a short branch west of Woking , allowing funeral trains from its London terminus to reach Brookwood Cemetery . Further branches serving Surrey were opened over
5376-411: The area adjacent to the station housed the L&SWR's carriage and wagon works until their relocation to Eastleigh in 1909. After closure to passengers the station and surrounding tracks continued in use for goods traffic. In 1941 the building was damaged by German bombs and it was demolished in the 1960s. The station closed as a freight depot on 29 July 1968. The site became the flower section of
5488-461: The change to the interlocking – it was entirely undocumented and unapproved) which meant that a set of points not correctly set was not detected. This allowed a proceed signal to be shown when it should not have been possible to do so. The problem would have been indicated to the signaller when a previous train 'ran through' the points and moved them had the temporary connection been removed. The temporary connection prevented this detection by providing
5600-523: The clock at Waterloo" is a traditional rendezvous. There are 24 platforms at this station, numbered 1-24 from the South East to the North West (left to right when viewed from the passenger entrance): In contrast, platforms at London Waterloo East are lettered to avoid confusion with the numbered platforms at this station. Network Rail has constructed a balcony along almost the whole width of
5712-503: The concourse at the first-floor level. The project's aims were to provide 18 new retail spaces and a champagne bar, reduce congestion on the concourse, and improve access to Waterloo East station by providing additional escalators leading to the high-level walkway between Waterloo and Waterloo East. Retail and catering outlets have been removed from the concourse to make more circulation space. First-floor offices have been converted into replacement and additional retail and catering spaces. Work
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#17327653282805824-443: The construction of a cut-off line between Brockenhurst and Christchurch, which would reduce the distance between the two by around 7 + 3 ⁄ 4 mi (12.5 km) compared to the existing route via Ringwood. The works included a new Christchurch station and the doubling of the single line between Christchurch and Bournemouth East, both completed on 30 May 1886. Progress on the 10 mi 38 ch (16.9 km) cut-off line
5936-401: The construction of a spur, from Staines on the Waterloo to Reading line , to Heathrow Airport , creating direct rail links from the airport to Waterloo, Woking and Guildford . Airtrack was planned to open in 2015, but was abandoned by BAA during 2011. That October, Wandsworth Council proposed a revised plan called Airtrack-Lite , which would provide trains from Waterloo to Heathrow, via
6048-463: The conversion of the remaining platforms was delayed as it required alterations to the track layout outside the station. Platforms 20–22 were reopened for domestic use at the end of 2018. The final set, 23–24, opened in May 2019. The refurbishment and reopening of platforms 20–24 increased capacity at Waterloo by 30%. The international platforms were only designed to cope with six trains per hour, well below
6160-401: The core of the network built by the London and South Western Railway , today mostly operated by South Western Railway . Operating speeds on much of the line are relatively high, with large stretches cleared for up to 100 mph (160 km/h) running. The line has four tracks for most of the length between Waterloo and Worting Junction near Basingstoke , from which point most of the line
6272-466: The current capacity for commuter services. The project was 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. The cost of maintaining the disused platforms up to late 2010
6384-555: The departure of the final steam service to Bournemouth . The electrified service began the next day. The station was managed by Network SouthEast also under BR. Following the privatisation of British Rail , ownership and management passed to Railtrack in April 1994 and finally, in 2002, to Network Rail . Although the London terminus of the international railway connection via the Channel Tunnel had long planned to be in
6496-458: The fastest services taking 5 + 3 ⁄ 4 hours. The LSWR was authorised to acquire the S&DR in the London and South Western and Southampton and Dorchester Railways Amalgamation Act , passed on 22 July 1848. The Southampton and Dorchester Railway Act 1845 gave the LSWR running rights over the southern section of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway . The line, which was taken over by
6608-478: The first part of its line, between Ringwood and Christchurch, on 13 November 1862, but passenger numbers were low. The proposal to continue the line to the growing seaside resort of Bournemouth was authorised by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway Act 1863 . Work on the 3 mi 52 ch (5.9 km) extension began in late 1865, and the single line opened 14 March 1870. Until December 1872, Poole
6720-415: The first public trains between Blechynden (close to the site of the present Southampton Central station) and Dorchester ran on 1 June 1847. The link to the LSWR opened on 29 July that year, allowing through running of trains between London and Dorset, albeit with a reversal at the Southampton terminus station. The initial timetable was five trains per day in each direction between Nine Elms and Dorchester, with
6832-566: The former Eurostar connection line between Vauxhall and Clapham High Street whilst engineering works took place between Hither Green and London Charing Cross/Cannon Street/Blackfriars via London Bridge. London River Services operate boats from nearby London Eye Pier (also known as the Waterloo Millennium Pier) and Festival Pier , and run to the City and Greenwich . The piers also provide access to corporate and leisure services. There had been plans to connect Waterloo to
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#17327653282806944-444: The former Eurostar entrance to access the platforms. In May 2016, it was announced that platforms 1 to 4 would be lengthened to allow new ten-car Class 707 trains to run. Work started on 5 August 2017, and was completed on 28 August. There have been relatively few accidents at Waterloo compared to other London terminal stations. On 21 August 1896, an engine leaving the locomotive yard overran its clearance point, colliding with
7056-507: The former Eurostar platforms 20–24 of Waterloo International remained unused until they were fully brought back into service in May 2019, after partial re-opening in December 2018. Waterloo suffered significant capacity problems, until the former international station were brought back into service for domestic use. In December 2008 preparatory work was carried out to enable platform 20 to be used by South West Trains suburban services. However,
7168-487: The four spare trailer coaches were two RU, one BFK and one DTSO. It was planned originally that a 3-car single ended push pull trailer set formed DTC+BFK+RU would work with a Class 74 to cover 4-Rep heavy maintenance, but this formation never operated but was replaced by the 8-Vab unit 8001. The three cars remained as spares. The other RU was deployed on special trains with TC units when needed. Class 74 were heavy rebuilds of Class 71 electric locomotives ; Class 33/1 were
7280-459: The land had been cleared for work to start. The new station was opened in stages. It was partially ready in 1909, with the main booking hall opening on 11 June 1911. A vehicular roadway to the station opened on 18 December 1911. The connection to Waterloo Junction was removed in March that year, but a siding remained until 3 May 1925. The bridge remained in place and was used as a walkway between
7392-528: The line has eight tracks. It runs over the Nine Elms to Waterloo Viaduct for much of its length. It crosses beneath the Chatham Main Line where the Brighton Main Line runs alongside it on the southern side. At Clapham Junction , some of these tracks leave on the Waterloo to Reading Line and the remaining tracks are reduced to four. The Brighton Line, which also has four tracks, separates from it shortly afterwards. The four tracks initially have
7504-418: The line towards a site on York Road, close to Waterloo Bridge . The extension past Nine Elms involved demolishing 700 houses, and most of it was carried on a brick viaduct to minimise disruption. The longest bridge was 90 feet (27 m) long and took the line over Westminster Bridge Road . The approach to the new station carried four tracks, with the expectation that other companies would use it. The station
7616-553: The lines on 29 September 1917. The rebuilt station was formally opened on 21 March 1922 by Queen Mary . The main pedestrian entrance, the Victory Arch (known as Exit 5), was designed by Scott and is a memorial to company staff who were killed during the war. Upon opening, it marked 585 employees who had been killed in World War I. It was flanked by two sculptures featuring Roman goddesses; "1914" with Bellona in armour with
7728-587: The main station is Waterloo East , the last stop on the South Eastern Main Line towards London before the terminus at Charing Cross . Waterloo East has four platforms, which are lettered A to D rather than numbered to avoid confusion with the numbered platforms in the main station by staff who work at both stations. Waterloo East is managed and branded separately from the main station. Trains go to southeast London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. All regular services are operated by Southeastern. During August 2017, some Southeastern trains were diverted into Waterloo via
7840-555: The main station opened on 17 March 1869. A 5-chain (330 ft; 100 m) link to the South Eastern Railway (SER) line from London Bridge to Charing Cross opened in July 1865. It was diverted from London Bridge to Cannon Street on 1 February 1867, before being withdrawn the following year. The SER opened Waterloo Junction station on 1 January 1869 as a replacement, that allowed LSWR passengers to change and access services to Cannon Street. A further extension on
7952-599: The meantime, London and Continental Railways (LCR), created at the time of British Rail privatisation, was selected by the government in 1996 to reconstruct St Pancras railway station , which it had owned since privatisation, as well as a new rail connection, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), to link St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel. Construction of the CTRL, the second phase of High Speed 1 ,
8064-461: The mid-1840s, commuter services to Wandsworth , Wimbledon , Kingston upon Thames , Ditton Marsh and Weybridge had become an important part of L&SWR traffic, so the company looked for a terminus closer to Central London and the West End . An act of Parliament , the London and South Western Railway Metropolitan Extensions Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. clxv), was granted in 1845 to extend
8176-440: The need to change from surface to underground lines at Waterloo). With Waterloo now destined to remain a terminus station, and with the old station becoming a source of increasingly bad will and publicity amongst the travelling public, the L&SWR decided on total rebuilding, in a project they called the "Great Transformation" Legal powers to carry out the work were granted in 1899 and 1900. About 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) of land
8288-653: The next few decades including to Epsom (4 April 1859), to Farnham via Aldershot (2 May 1870). and to Guildford via Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon (2 February 1885). West of Southampton, the Lymington Railway Company opened the first part of its line from Brockenhurst to Lymington Town to paying passengers on 12 July 1858, and services on a second branch serving Romsey, the so-called Sprat and Winkle Line between Redbridge and Andover, began on 6 March 1865. The branch from Wareham to Swanage opened on 20 May 1885. Between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction,
8400-474: The north of London, the major construction works required to accommodate this plan had not started by the time the Channel Tunnel was completed in 1994. Instead, five new platforms were built on the western side of Waterloo station, replacing platforms 20 and 21. The new Waterloo International railway station was the first London terminus of Eurostar international trains to Gare du Nord , Paris and Brussels-South . An inaugural service left Waterloo on 6 May for
8512-454: The original intention was to continue the line towards the City of London , and consequently the station developed in a haphazard fashion, leading to difficulty finding the correct platform. The station was rebuilt in the early 20th century, opening in 1922, and included the Victory Arch over the main entrance, which commemorated World War I . Waterloo was the last London terminus to provide steam-powered services, which ended in 1967. The station
8624-421: The overall extension from Charing Cross to Kennington . The Jubilee line station opened on 24 September 1999 as part of the eastward extension to Stratford . Nine Elms railway station Nine Elms railway station was located in Nine Elms and opened on 21 May 1838 as the London terminus of the London and Southampton Railway , which later became the London and South Western Railway . The building in
8736-757: The pandemic, ranking it fourth in terms of usage. In 2023, London Liverpool Street overtook it as the busiest in London, as well as the United Kingdom as a whole, following the completion of the Elizabeth line . London Paddington also exceeded London Waterloo in terms of passenger entries and exits, leaving London Waterloo as the 3rd busiest station in the United Kingdom. The following off-peak weekday services are operated in trains per hour (tph) as of December 2023: Main Line Inner Suburban: Main Line Outer Suburban and Regional: Windsor and Reading Lines: Adjacent to
8848-482: The project, reduced the journey time between Waterloo and Weymouth by 25 minutes. Class 444 and Class 450 trains were introduced between 2004 and 2006. The majority of passenger services are currently operated by South Western Railway . CrossCountry operates the Bournemouth – Manchester services travelling on the line between Bournemouth and Basingstoke. In addition, Great Western Railway and Southern also operate services into Southampton Central , which use
8960-536: The proposed link resulted in its route being moved northwards, and plans for the central station were abandoned. Instead, a new Bournemouth East station, designed by William Jacomb with a 350 ft × 100 ft (107 m × 30 m) roof, was constructed. It opened on 20 July 1885 and the new link line was commissioned on 28 September 1886. Pokesdown station, between Christchurch and Bournemouth East, opened on 1 July 1886. The South Western (Bournemouth & c.) Act 1883 , passed on 20 August 1883, authorised
9072-634: The remaining work to Thomas Brassey . He also instituted a more rigorous supervision system by his assistant engineers. On 30 June 1837, the London and South Western Railway Deviations Act 1837 was passed, enabling the company to raise further capital and authorising deviations to the route. On 21 May 1838, the first section of the South West Main Line, between Nine Elms and Woking Common , opened with intermediate stations at Wandsworth (later replaced by Clapham Junction), Wimbledon, Kingston (now Surbiton), Ditton Marsh (now Esher), Walton and Weybridge. The extension westwards to Shapley Heath (now Winchfield), with
9184-521: The same month, the locomotive shed at Nine Elms (the last main-line steam shed in England) was closed. Rolling stock constructed or modified and rebuilt under the 1967 electrification project consisted of: The 4-Rep tractor units 3001-3011 motor coaches were newly built, as were the complete 4-Vep units 7701-7720, but the 4-Rep trailer coaches and all cars in the 4-TC and 3-TC sets 401-428 and 301-303 were conversions from locomotive-hauled stock;
9296-410: The same proposed spur from Staines to Heathrow, but, by diverting or splitting current services, the frequency of trains over the existing level crossings would not increase. BAA's earlier plan had controversially proposed more trains over the level crossings, leading to concerns that they would be closed to motorists and pedestrians for too long. After the transfer of Eurostar services from Waterloo,
9408-539: The shorter route via Bournemouth and Poole. Opening on the same day was the avoiding line at Branksome, which allowed trains to bypass Bournemouth West, eliminating the need for reversal. The first line to branch from the London–Southampton route was the Eastleigh– Gosport line, opened on 29 November 1841. The line was intended to serve Portsmouth , which could be reached via a floating bridge from Gosport. The station at Eastleigh, originally known as "Bishopstoke",
9520-489: The southeastern side of Waterloo, to provide more services, opened on 16 December 1878. A further extension to the north, beyond the Windsor Station, opened in November 1885. For each extension, the long-term plan was that the expansion was "temporary" until the line was extended past Waterloo, and these additions were added alongside and around the existing structure instead of an overall architectural plan. This resulted in
9632-423: The station becoming increasingly ramshackle. The platform numbering had grown in an ad hoc manner, resulting in the confusing situation of No. 1 being in the middle of the station complex, where it had been since 1848. The original 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
9744-421: The station concourse, along with another 27 in the subway below. A four-faced clock hangs in the middle of the main concourse. Each panel has a diameter of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m). It was erected as part of the early 20th century rebuilding and designed by Gents' of Leicester . In 2010, the clock was fitted with technology to automatically switch to and from British Summer Time . Meeting "under
9856-481: The station or on different levels; some numbers were duplicated. This complexity and confusion became the butt of jokes by writers and music hall comics for many years in the late 19th century, including Jerome K. Jerome in Three Men in a Boat . It was criticised and satirised in several Punch cartoons. The L&SWR spent the 1880s and 1890s trying to finalise plans to continue the line beyond Waterloo to
9968-481: The station platform. Waterloo was closed again after bombing on 29 December 1940. It re-opened on 5 January 1941, on the same day that station offices on York Road were destroyed by bombing. The station took heavy damage again after an overnight raid on 10–11 May 1941, with fires lasting for four days. One 2,000-pound (910 kg) bomb was not discovered until it was uncovered during building work along York Road in 1959. Following nationalisation in 1948, ownership of
10080-468: The station transferred to British Railways (BR) as part of the Southern Region . Under BR, more of the network was electrified and boat train traffic declined in favour of air travel. Waterloo was the last London terminus to run steam-hauled trains. The final journey took place on 9 July 1967 and featured a large group of rail enthusiasts with cameras and recording equipment, attempting to capture
10192-515: The station. In 1934, the SR planned to invest £500,000 (£45 million as of 2023) to improve the signalling and track layout to allow better use of all platforms. A full electric service to Woking, Guildford and Portsmouth Harbour (for the Isle of Wight ) opened on 4 July 1937, as did connecting services to Aldershot and Alton . On 1 January 1939 an electric service opened between Waterloo and Reading, with
10304-412: The terms of the 1834 act, the London and Southampton Railway company was authorised to issue shares to the value of £1 million (equivalent to £120 million in 2023) and to borrow a further £330,000. Around half of the money was raised from businessmen from Lancashire , with much of the remainder provided by landowners from south Hampshire. Giles had estimated that his route would take three years to build at
10416-582: The third-rail system which was considered to have a lower upfront cost. An electrical feed from the National Grid was installed at Basingstoke, with power distributed via a network of 19 substations . The project included the replacement of jointed track with continuous welded rail. Regular electric trains from London began operating in public service to Basingstoke on 2 January 1967 and to Bournemouth on 10 July 1967. The final steam-hauled public service between Waterloo and Southampton ran on 8 July 1967. In
10528-629: The time the station opened, the Railways Act 1921 had been passed, which spelt the end of the L&SWR as an independent concern. Waterloo was a major terminal station for soldiers in World War I, and for sailors travelling to Southampton for the British Expeditionary Force . It also handled ambulance trains and mail from overseas. A free buffet operated at the station between December 1915 and April 1920. The station itself saw little damage, except for an explosion on one of
10640-484: The two stations. Construction of the main station continued sporadically throughout World War I , and the new station finally opened in 1922, with 21 platforms and a 700-foot (210 m) long concourse. The roof and platforms were initially designed by J. W. Jacomb-Hood, who travelled to the US to look at station designs for inspiration. Following Jacomb-Hood's death in 1914, work was taken over by Alfred Weeks Szlumper . It
10752-507: Was electrified as far west as Pirbright Junction (for Alton) before World War II . It was completed using the (750 V DC third rail) system, by the London & South Western Railway or the Southern Railway , its successor. Electrification of the South West Main Line between Sturt Lane (near Frimley ) and Bournemouth was authorised in September 1964. Installation of overhead lines was considered, but British Rail instead decided to use
10864-505: Was a small village at the time. Poole, with a population of only 6,000, would be served by a branch from a station at Hamworthy. Castleman hoped to persuade the LSWR to operate the route, but the company refused, fearing that it would not be able to build any further lines west of Salisbury if it accepted. Instead, the Great Western Railway (GWR) agreed to run services using broad-gauge trains. Concerned at this development,
10976-643: Was authorised in January 1986, and work on the £53 million project (£196 million in 2023) began in October that year. To reduce costs, a 5 mi (8.0 km) stretch of line was singled between Moreton and Dorchester South, and the 11 kV supply from the National Grid limited train lengths to a maximum of five coaches. The third rail was energised on 11 January 1988, and public electric services began on 16 May that year. The Class 442 units, ordered as part of
11088-410: Was built in an Imperial Baroque style out of Portland stone . James Robb Scott designed the office range. 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 still survives today). These features were retained in the design, despite the fact that, by
11200-502: Was completed in 2007, and Waterloo International closed on 13 November 2007 when the Eurostar service transferred to the new St Pancras International station. Ownership of the former Waterloo International terminal then passed to BRB (Residuary) Limited . Waterloo station was to be the central London terminus for the proposed Heathrow Airtrack rail service. This project, promoted by British Airport Authority Limited (BAA), envisaged
11312-471: Was completed in July 2012, at a cost of £25 million. The British Transport Police maintained a police station by the Victory Arch at Waterloo, with a custody suite of three cells. Although relatively cramped, it served over 40 police officers until the late 1990s. The police station shut in February 2009, following the closure of the Eurostar Terminal at Waterloo. The railway station
11424-444: Was designed by William Tite and opened on 11 July 1848 as "Waterloo Bridge Station". Nine Elms closed for regular services at the same time, but Queen Victoria was fond of the privacy afforded by the old station, so it was kept open for her, and a replacement private station built on Wandsworth Road in 1854. Waterloo Bridge was originally laid out as a through station, as it was expected that services would eventually continue towards
11536-561: Was designed by William Tite, and had opened on 10 June 1839 with the section of line between Basingstoke and Northern Road. A further junction at the station was added with the completion of the Eastleigh–Salisbury line , which opened to freight on 27 January 1847 and to passenger trains on 1 March of the same year. By 1850, four lines branching from the South West Main Line had opened to serve locations in west Surrey and east Berkshire. The Guildford Junction Railway , which diverged from
11648-436: Was finished in May the following year. The opening ceremony for the completed line from Nine Elms to Southampton took place on 11 May 1840, with a directors' train leaving London at 8 am and arriving at the permanent terminus, designed by William Tite , around three hours later. The LSWR did not intend Nine Elms to be its permanent northern terminus, and in 1844 an extension of 1 + 3 ⁄ 4 mi (2.8 km) to
11760-487: Was found via a Freedom of Information request to have been £4.1 million. South West Trains subsequently confirmed that platform 20 would be brought back into use in 2014, hosting certain services to and from Reading, Windsor, Staines and Hounslow. These would be 10-car trains newly formed from refurbished SWT and former Gatwick Express rolling stock. Platform 20 reopened in May, with access via platform 19, and platforms 21 and 22 in October after steps were constructed over
11872-427: Was granted royal assent on 21 July 1845 and, the following month, Samuel Morton Peto was contracted to build the line. Materials were shipped by sea to Poole and the first part to be completed was the section between Ringwood and Dorchester. Wet weather during the winter of 1846–1847 delayed the completion of the eastern half of the line. Difficulties encountered during the construction of Southampton Tunnel meant that
11984-421: Was hindered by poor weather in spring 1887, which flooded cuttings and damaged embankments. The direct Brockenhurst–Christchurch line opened about a year later than planned, on 5 March 1888, with intermediate stations at Sway, New Milton and Hinton. The initial timetable was nine services per day from London to Bournemouth East, with eight in the opposite direction. The fastest trains took around three hours to cover
12096-601: Was part-owned by the L&SWR, who took over full ownership in 1907. It was primarily designed for commuters and not normally open on Sundays. Since the COVID-19 pandemic , the line has only been open on weekdays. The Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (now part of the Bakerloo line ) opened on 10 March 1906, and was initially accessed from Waterloo by lifts at the York Road end of the station. The Northern line 's station at Waterloo opened on 13 September 1926, as part of
12208-442: Was purchased to accommodate the new building, which included six streets (and part of two others), along with All Saints' Church. The L&SWR built six blocks of flats to rehouse around 1,750 people as compensation for those displaced. Extensive groundwork and slum clearance were carried out before construction on the terminus proper began, including several rundown buildings that had been extensively used for prostitution. By 1903,
12320-497: Was reluctant to construct a dedicated grand terminus at Waterloo. Consequently, the station had none of the usual facilities expected of a terminus until 1853, when a small block was built on the far east side of the station. In 1854, the London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company opened a private station inside Waterloo that provided services to Brookwood Cemetery . The station was demolished and replaced with
12432-560: Was served by a station on the western side of the Harbour Bridge. Through carriages to London had been introduced by the LSWR in May 1860, and the branch line had been doubled in 1863-1864. The second station to serve Poole opened on 2 December 1872 and was served at first only by Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway trains. It was constructed as part of the Poole and Bournemouth Railway , initially an independent company, but taken over by
12544-426: Was the London terminus for Eurostar international trains from 1994 until 2007, when they were transferred to St. Pancras . Waterloo is the third busiest station in the UK, and was formerly the busiest railway station in the UK, handling 57.8 million passengers in the year to March 2023. It is also the UK's largest station in terms of floor space and has the greatest number of platforms. The station's formal name
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