Waterloo platform 20 reopens tomorrow

[Goldfish62]

Lets see how much tweeking of the times of existing services (to allow departing services from P20 to access the down Windsor line) have to be made to make using platform 20 viable.

Indeed. I've noticed from the shine of the rails that so far trains departing from Plat 20 have used the WR rather than DWF, thus pushing the problem along to Queenstown Road....

 

[cjohnson]

Platform 20 is seeing some use today as a result of the problems affecting 8,9,10 at Waterloo.

 

[yorksrob]

Is there currently room to have two sets of four tracks from Clapham as in the olden days, or is the Sheepcote lane (the "new" Eurostar chord) in the way ?

 

[Monty]

You would need to demolish the flyover at Nine Elms Junction if you wanted to four track the Windsor side.

 

[swt_passenger]

Is there currently room to have two sets of four tracks from Clapham as in the olden days, or is the Sheepcote lane (the "new" Eurostar chord) in the way ?

They've suggested in a couple of publications that they'd run it as 3+3+2 if the flyover was removed to provide the space. A reversible line on the main fast is more use than a fourth track on the Windsor side.

 

[TheKnightWho]

They've suggested in a couple of publications that they'd run it as 3+3+2 if the flyover was removed to provide the space. A reversible line on the main fast is more use than a fourth track on the Windsor side.

Would the flyover be resized to accommodate?

 

[yorksrob]

Thanks for the replies.

It's a shame they didn't hedge their bets and build the flyover single track (Given the international service was never planned to be that intensive, and the trains would have been starting/terminating, it presumably wouldn't have been too much of an obstacle).

 

[swt_passenger]

Would the flyover be resized to accommodate?

AFAIK demolition is required to reinstate the original tracks isn't it?

 

[yorksrob]

Would the flyover be resized to accommodate?

I doubt they would be able to justify the expense without a regular use for it.

 

[Eagle]

It's a shame they didn't hedge their bets and build the flyover single track (Given the international service was never planned to be that intensive, and the trains would have been starting/terminating, it presumably wouldn't have been too much of an obstacle).

Of course, by the time the flyover opened, it was already known that St Pancras was going to end up being the main Eurostar terminal.

 

[yorksrob]

Of course, by the time the flyover opened, it was already known that St Pancras was going to end up being the main Eurostar terminal.

Indeed, although I believe they were planning to have both terminals in use for international services at one stage.

 

[autotank]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the flyover ever used these days? Why not demolish it?

 

[Eagle]

1. Not used by any regular services (a couple of railtours still use it though).

2. Because it's slap bang in the middle of the busiest passenger railway in the country, and you'd need to close the lot before you could safely knock it down. The other option would be to dismantle it, but that takes a lot longer.

 

[jopsuk]

demolishing it would likely require a several day total closure of Waterloo.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Xmas anybody? On topic, whats the access problems with P21-25 for pax at moment?

 

[Eagle]

You can only get to 21-24 from the International concourse, which is on a lower level (and in need of a bit of a spruce up :P).

20 is okay because you can get to it from the main concourse as it's back-to-back with 19.

 

[jopsuk]

Access to 21-25 isn't level from the concourse. When they were used by Eurostar, the check in and border facilities were on a lower level. To get to this, there was a big hole. It's considered a bit rude to force passengers to go down and back up again for no real reason- it is obviously, even with lifts, an accessibility issue, especially for blind and partially sighted passengers as you would understand.

But 21-24 are also not easily accessed by trains- or rather, the lines leading to Waterloo that need more platforms are not able to access them, and it is no trivial matter to redirect everything several platforms across.

 

[cle]

Can they not full in some of the back of them to make them 'bay' as per the other platforms in Waterloo - even if it means shortening them by a car at the London-end?

 

[swt_passenger]

Can they not full in some of the back of them to make them 'bay' as per the other platforms in Waterloo - even if it means shortening them by a car at the London-end?

No, because all the arrivals and departures would then all have to merge together through the only access via P20 and 'through the wall' on to P19, and there isn't enough circulation space in the P19/20 area. Their plan is to fill in the whole area over the closed Eurostar check in, and provide a set of new entrances at the end of P21-24.

 

[Goldfish62]

SWT states that Platform 20 will be in full regular passenger service use from May, yet I cannot find a single train on Open Train Times that is scheduled to use it in the Summer timetable. It was going to be used as a result of the extra peak hours Reading line trains, but these are not now happening from May.

So is SWT telling porkies?

 

[455driver]

Does it actually matter?
It is just one more platform to add to the other 19 already there!

 

[Goldfish62]

Does it actually matter?
It is just one more platform to add to the other 19 already there!

I think you're missing my point. The "Alliance" is boasting that P20 will be in full use from May, yet there's no evidence of what it will be used for. It was a straight question on my part. Sorry if I didn't make this clear.

 

[455driver]

Having an extra Platform wont make a blind bit of difference, its line capacity which is the problem between Waterloo and Barnes!
Its just more spin I am afraid.

The time when P20 will be useful is when P1-4 are closed for some of them to be extended, until then it isnt much use except during major disruption.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think you're missing my point. The "Alliance" is boasting that P20 will be in full use from May, yet there's no evidence of what it will be used for. It was a straight question on my part. Sorry if I didn't make this clear.

It can also take a while for the likes of realtimetrains to catch up. IIRC Reading had P4,5 and 6 in fairly regular use for some weeks before the live information started showing it routinely. I suspect the default is to roll the existing WTT forward, it's always possible that changes will be made between now and May.

 

[34D]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the flyover ever used these days? Why not demolish it?

Let's demolish the whole international station, put the old Windsor line platforms back in, and let's reinstate the hoist to allow Waterloo & City cars to return to the surface - could even do the latter in service!

 

[cle]

Isn't there a plan to demolish the disused platform at Queenstown Road and add a new line through there, which would increase capacity?

 

[TheKnightWho]

Let's demolish the whole international station, put the old Windsor line platforms back in, and let's reinstate the hoist to allow Waterloo & City cars to return to the surface - could even do the latter in service!

... why, exactly?