I went on a reconnaissance trip to Waterloo this afternoon, and
made a point of travelling from the new/old part of the station.
The first thing that caught my eye was platform 24. When I was a
boy, there were only 21 platforms. There are steps from platforms
23 & 24 at least down to whatever is underneath.

The service was erratic to say the least. One train in 23 was due to
leave at 14.28 while the train in 24 was scheduled for five minutes
later and did leave on time. The other train left 12 minutes late!

I noticed with great surprise that a train for Exeter comprised
8 coaches. (3+5) I don't know if this was to reduce the number of
departures during the work. The departure board declared that
the train would be divided at Salisbury and that only three coaches
would go forward.