Bill Bolton wrote:
" wrote:
Who, in a rush to get their cattletruck home, is going
to go up escalators into a "shopping experience" in
search of a cup of tea?

In quite a number of CBD stations globally, a lot of people do find
"shopping" for a variety of goods/service in a railway station on
their way to from/work to be a worthwhile thing to do.

Just because the value proposition doesn't appeal to you is no general
indication that others may not find it adequately valuable for them!


What every retailer needs is footfall. There is nowhere better for
footfall than a large London terminal station, and Waterloo's footfall
is the highest of any station by far.

Attracting only a tiny proportion of the 88 million passengers a year
who use Waterloo will provide a huge opportunity for retailers. So
even if the vast majority turn their noses up and refuse to buy, there
will be more than enough business to justify this proposed
development.

The scheme looks good. It does not detract from the fine architecture
of the listed building and it will free up the concourse and allow
much easier circulation. No-one is being forced to shop there, and
the current shop units are very much in the way.

It appears to me to be a good thing for passengers, shoppers,
retailers and Network Rail. Win/win/win/win.

What's not to like?