Waterloo Station, Waterloo, London

A very, very, very busy station in the heart of London, made even more busy by the recent installation of some pain in the ar*e electronic ticket barriers at the entrance to the platforms.

The place is very vibrant with lots of eateries and a number of bars, all very reasonably priced considering where they are located.

Masses of ticket machines on the rear wall cut down queuing times and the very clear display screens above the entrance to the platforms ensure you know exactly where your train is located and what time it is leaving, so getting on the wrong train is not really an option.

Excellent toilets within the station but you do have to spend 30p in order to spend a penny!!

The underground is very accessible from the main concourse and in peak times via the platforms.

The hub of london .. What else can I say :)

WAterloo station is a great vibrant place with shops and other ammenities and access to several lines of train and the underground. It serves the Jubilee line which will take you up to green park where you can enjoy Hyde Park and other London Attractions.

I live in Surrey, and have to end up in Waterloo most of the time if I want to get into London.
I used to like the station, but now have mixed feelings since the installation of those braindead gates at the exit/entrance of the platforms. They slow everyone down, to the extent that it can take 20min to leave if you stay in the same queue as the rest of the peak-hour train passengers. Going to the platform next door is usually faster, if a train hasn’t arrived there recently.

I’m partial to the Costa coffee, the only place to sit at when you miss one of the later trains out, as it’s the only place open until 1am, the time of the last trains.

I’m also grateful for the distraction of the Paperchase, the usefulness of the omnipresent WH Smith, the yummy scents wafting up from the Cornish pasty shop downstairs (jubilee line entrance) and the Starbucks hidden behind the corner next to it.

I would recommend avoiding exiting at the “front” of the platform into the main station if you’re traveling at peak times. There are “secret” passageways in the middle of most platforms leading directly to the tube entrance which are open at peak times.

Also, if you’re trying to get to Embankment/Westminster, why not walk to the end of the station (past platform 15 and the bakerloo tube entrance) and exit towards the “Shell building”. There is a small footbridge, and you end up right around the corner behind the London eye!

I have to admit I’ve had some horrible experiences with SouthWestTrains, especially on weekends these past few months, as they have been doing repair work and my journey into London takes 1 hour, instead of half and hour. When they’re running properly, they’re exceptionally reliable. But when they’re late or there’s repair work, you will be cursing at them. Best advice? Check the website and bring a book.

Waterloo is one of those old-world stations. I love the inner design where old meets new and the impressive quantity of glass. I love the proximity of the station and the surrounding area. Good enough food if you are on the run and need something to fill the hole in your stomach without burning a new one in your pocket.

Waterloo station just doesn’t quite feel the same without the Eurostar (Bonaparte’s café should probably change its name now too!). I guess that is a big loss for the station. (The French did actually have the de Gaulle to ask for the station to be renamed as it was upsetting for them to be reminded of Napoleon’s defeat).

Its still manages to be a packed out busy place on a Saturday lunchtime so I dread to think of what it must be like at rush hour. The one thing I was very impressed by is the number of ticket machines available, more than I’ve seen at any other station.

Maybe its just me but the trains from here don’t really seem to go anywhere that interesting. The victory arch at the entrance is interesting but barely anyone notices it. I didn’t for years.

I use this station to go to work, its got a good selection of shops (some are being done up at time of reviewing) and food outlets. Its in a good location to do some sightseeing being near the eye and county hall. The only thing that would make this station better is if there was less people walking in all different directions. Its like an assault coerce getting from one end the the other at peak times.

Insanely busy, but a curiously pleasant train station. I can’t exactly put my finger on why this should be the case, but I always enjoy arriving here. The main concourse is light and airy, there are plenty of food and drink options, it’s easy to get to your platform, and it’s nice and central - the Thames is just over the way, as is the South Bank strip, Westminster, Embankment, the London Eye, and so on. An oddly enjoyable train station to use.

Waterloo Station is one of the most busy train stations in Britain, and this is most definitely felt when attempting to travel at peak commuter times in the morning and evening. All trains headed towards Waterloo, you’re lucky if you get a seat at all, or in some cases you’re lucky if you even have standing room on the train.

Nevertheless, the experience you get when you arrive at Waterloo station is that of a fast paced, fluid environment. Everyone is rushing to get to somewhere else, but somehow you don’t feel as hurried as you would expect.

There are a range of shops, kiosks and fast food restaurants available at Waterloo including sandwich shops such as Upper Crust, chains such as McDonalds and Burger King, and smaller corner shops that sell cigarettes and drinks etc. The shops include a small WHSmiths, a Paperchase and a Tie Rack.

There is also clear access to a number of London Underground lines, and all train departures are clearly indicated on large electronic boards that dominate the centre of the station. At nearly all times you will find large groups of people clustered around this area, staring upwards. It becomes an artform to find a train you want on the board that’s leaving in the next 5 minutes and get to it, without stopping to look.

Having regularly travelled down from Norwich and through the London Underground system, there are few sights that represent home to me more than the feeling that I have arrived at Waterloo station, and I am only one more step away from getting home. Waterloo has very fond associations for me.

I love this station, as a newbie to the whole train thing, where it can be seen as quite uncool to travel by train back home, coming to Waterloo was a big eye opener. Its huge and there is so much hustle and bustle going one, yet its still function efficiently and all trains leave timeously.
There is no opportunity to get lost even though its huge, as everything is well sign posted and there are plently of helpful gaurds who will set you in the right direction.
Also there are many self service ticketing booths and there are usually many ticketing officers in the ticketing offcie waiting to help you. They are really helpful too, making sure you get the best deal.
Very impressed with this station and all the amenities on offer.
Even more so seeing as it was part of the last Bourne movie!
Oh yes and finally Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has a store here!!!

I now cant help thinking of the ‘Bourne Ultimatum’ whenever I walk into Waterloo station. It is often quoted as being one of the busiest stations in the world and if you are unlucky enough to hit it during rush hour you can see why. The station itself is ideally located next to the thames so jump off here and within seconds you will be at the London eye. Within the station itself it is definitely worthwhile arriving in plenty of time if you still need to buy your tickets as often there are very long queues or else some of the machines are not in operation. With its standard M & S and Burgerking eateries there are always some nice options to grab that snack before you venture off by train to your destination.

Waterloo always excites me, as it always did when I was young. On a more practical level, it is a great station, with everything easily reached. It’s even better now the Eurostar has left, and the Waterloo and City line makes life very easy if you want to get to the business area of Bank. The underground is very easily reached. There’s a big selection of shops inside, so you won’t get bored if you have to wait around for your train.

As someone who travels with a buggy regularly this is one of my favourite stations to come into - easily navigated when you’ve got wheels - if you come into Waterloo East there’s a lift down to the main concourse or the main platforms are all on the level - no tricky stairs. You can exit the station by Costa Coffee and walk down the sloped side to get to the main road - again no tricky stairs or bumps. Then wander to the South Bank….perfect

Ah, Waterloo. Britain’s busiest station: nearly 84 million passengers last year, plus a further 4 million changing trains here, makes it considerably busier in total numbers than Heathrow - and that’s not including the adjoining station of Waterloo East. It is - by floor area (over 24 acres), and the number of platforms - the UK’s largest station.

History

The main line of the original London and Southampton Railway (LSR) originally terminated at Nine Elms, where a very handsome terminus was built in 1838, but it was quickly found to be an inconvenient place to deposit passengers wanting central London. In 1848 the line was extended by the LSR’s successor, the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), on brick arches all the way to Waterloo Bridge, and until 1886 this was the name of the station.

This original station was rebuilt and extended over the years, most notably in 1878 and again in 1885. But it was almost completely rebuilt between 1901-1922, and it is this station which essentially survives today. The architect was J R Scott, and his style developed as the building expanded: the main external feature, the great 'Victory Arch’, opened by Queen Mary in 1922, is a wonderfully confident piece of Imperial Baroque, fully Edwardian in its style.

Inside, the enormous trainshed with its forest of columns is unique in London, in having the gables running transversely across the platforms, rather than along them, which is the more normal arrangement. The roof was the work of J W Jacomb-Hood and A W Szlumper, engineers from the LSWR.

A curiosity over the years was the adjacent Necropolis Station, built in 1854, rebuilt in 1902 and destroyed by bombing in 1941. This took coffins (and their mourners) for burial at Brookwood Cemetery, in trains which, as well as being separated into 1st, 2nd and 3rd class, had separate carriages for Anglicans and Nonconformists! The handsome Baroque entrance building from 1902 survives, however, at 121 Westminster Bridge Road.

The only part of Waterloo proper remaining from the 1885 rebuild - the northern trainshed - was removed to make way for the Eurostar platforms, itself completed in 1994 and used by International services until they moved to St Pancras in 2007. There are plans in the future for South West Trains services to use these platforms, which will require alterations to the track and signalling.

Since 2007, South West Trains have been the sole train operator in Waterloo - harking back to the days of the London and South Western Railway.

The station

The station layout above ground is relatively simple, and will become more so when the current plans to replace the current ticket barriers with a single line of automatic gates is completed next year. The station currently has 19 platforms in operation. Until its transfer to London Underground, the two subterranean platforms of the Waterloo and City Railway were also counted in the total. The 5 platforms of the former International station are currently unused.

Waterloo has all the facilities you would expect of such a major station, although limitations on space have restricted the scope for retailing space compared with other London termini. The ticket office is open 24 hours. There is step-free access across the whole of the station (via lifts in some places).

Don’t miss taking a look at the Travel Centre: formerly the Windsor Bar, this is sumptuously decorated in the Edwardian De Luxe style, with Ionic pilasters, mirror and marble, reminiscent of early cinemas. The two domed display cabinets were once pay boxes.

Trains from Waterloo cover the area between the line to Exeter (via Salisbury) and Portsmouth (via Guildford), as well as suburban services towards Reading via Ascot, including the original main line to Southampton, and beyond to Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. But it is best known for its intensive suburban services to places like Chessington, Hampton Court, Guildford, Windsor and Eton, Wimbledon, Richmond and Putney.

The station is on the Northern, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines, as well as the Waterloo and City Railway (which does not run on Saturday evenings or Sundays). The system of passages linking Waterloo to the Underground has always been a bit of a warren, made more complicated still by the addition of the Jubilee Line and separate connections to the International Station. You could spend days down here, hopelessly lost, and it’s still quite an achievement to emerge above ground in the right place first time (try getting to the Waterloo Road exit in one go!).

Bus access is at the front, with further stops in York Road, currently used by the following services: 1, 68, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 59, 341, 76, 211, 50, 7, 77, RV1, 381, 4, 26, 139, 243, 521.

There is a footbridge to the adjacent Waterloo East station, used by services from Charing Cross. Road access always has been terrible, but there is a large car park nearby.

Nearly every weekday, you can find me arriving at Waterloo station at 7.30 in the morning, and leaving at 6.13 in the evening. Waterloo is a busy station serving the South West (well, South West Trains, anyway). From Hounslow to Hampton, Surbiton to Southampton, if you are heading South Westish on the train, Waterloo will be your first port of call.

In addition to the train service, it also has an underground station, with trains on the Northern, Waterloo and City, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines. A number of buses also service Waterloo.

Waterloo has 19 platforms, plus the currently disused Eurostar platforms. Waterloo’s not a pretty station - it’s not been tarted up like St Pancras has been. There are not that many shops, so it’s not a hub of commerce. There are a couple of pubs, a couple of coffee places, a Medi Centre, a WH Smiths, M&S and a few other bits and pieces. Really, this is a functional station - it’s not somewhere you’d go unless you were using the station for its intended purpose.

There are loos, and they are reasonably clean, but you do have to pay 30p to use them. The departure boards are easy to read on the concourse, less so on the platforms (especially in bright conditions). The concourse can get very crowded, especially if there are delays.

Waterloo is a functional station. No more, no less.

There is something about this station that makes it feel spacious and cozy at the same time. The station is not as big as Victoria but they still make it feel like it is bigger than what it looks. The station used to be booming much more with the Eurostar extension but that moved now. The station like all the others have a few food places inside, one or two clothing stores. Waterloo Station is a perfect distance away from visiting the South Bank, London Eye and even the Imax.

Waterloo Station has a good selection of useful stores which are ideal for when travelling. These include Boots and WH Smith. They have a lot of ticket machines all the way along the station to cut the time of queing. The timetables are clear and there are a lot of staff around compared to most stations.

What are the toilets with pin codes all about at waterloo?? Bit “James Bond” cameo. ?

If you entering London from anywhere in the South West, Waterloo will be your main point of entry. And a very impressive, efficient place it is!
With the large train station above ground that is always organised chaos, the plethora of bus stations just outside and direct access to three of the largest underground lines Waterloo is a commuter haven.
Southwest train lines run from here to all destinations in the Southwest of England. Large electronic boards in the main hall announce the departure and arrivals of the trains on the 19 platforms.
A large variety of shops for last-minute shopping or food and drinks surrounds the main hall.
There is underground access to the Northern line (Charing Cross branch); Bakerloo and Jubilee lines.
Buses depart from Waterloo to the West End, City and to the south of London.
Also – walking out of the station gives you direct access to the South Bank near the London eye and all the activities available there.
As a transport hub Waterloo is very good – and as a regular user I must say quite efficient!

I love Waterloo Station, and because I have friends who live down south, I use it quite a bit.

It’s become even better to use the station now that Eurostar’s International service has moved to St Pancras, because there aren’t as many people running for the trains.

And each time I go there I get way-laid by all the shops - you’ve got Boots, Paperchase, Monsoon, WHSmith, Sanity, Dixons, the list goes on!

And when you’ve had enough shopping, grab a bite - go for a healthy bagel instead of Hungry Jacks, or not, the point is you’ve got the choice.

From there you can catch the bus, the tube, the national rail, or take a taxi. Ride the Jubilee, Bakerloo, Northern or Waterloo & City lines.