London Banter - View Single Post - Waterloo internal platforms. What the hell is going on?

Someone Somewhere · May 26th 16, 02:44 PM posted to uk.transport.london,uk.railway

On 26/05/2016 15:13, d wrote:

waiting for SWT to receive their new Siemens Desiro units so they can
make use of them?

Doesn't sound very plausable. Why can't the old trains be used?

Do they have enough of them? Is a shortage of platforms at Waterloo
currently a problem (ie are there spare units sitting around that can't
be used)?

I know the overcrowding on the concourse etc is, and surely they need
to do some work to improve the passenger circulation before putting even
more trains into there?

2017 was the latest date I heard, so only 10 years of expensive
infrastructure wasting away doing nothing - not bad for around here...
(although didn't it take them a good 5 years to think of anything to do
with them at all apart from as an odd theatre venue?)

More than likely. You'd think with the overcrowding at waterloo any TOC
worth its salt would be beating the doors down to get at those platforms.
But then we all know TOCs are run for the shareholders, not the passengers. If
there's no shareholder benefit they're not interested.

But the station is surely owned and run by national rail who are
interested in getting more trains (or more TOCs) in, and hence more
passengers as that can drive addtional franchise revenue surely?

I'm not debating it's mad how long it has taken - they knew HS1 was
coming so they should have started planning then what to do with the,
now spare, platforms rather than waiting until 2012 or whatever.