http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3001

quote
The international terminal at Waterloo Station will be out of use for
more than a year before the platforms are used by domestic rail
services, the government has confirmed.

Waterloo has enjoyed a direct link to Paris and Brussels since
November 1994

The final trains between Waterloo and Paris and Brussels will run on
Tuesday 13 November.
Eurostar's London terminal will move to St Pancras from the start of
service on Wednesday 14 November, thirteen years to the day since the
Eurostar service began operations.
A banner above the Eurostar concourse says "Goodbye to all our friends
at Waterloo". The last public train service will be the 7.58pm arrival
from Paris.
Responding to a question from shadow transport secretary Theresa
Villiers, rail minister Tom Harris wrote: "Officials at the Department
for Transport are continuing to work closely with Network Rail and
Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise
the design and costs associated with the partial conversion of
Waterloo International potentially to accommodate limited domestic
passenger services from December 2008."
Waterloo International has five platforms (numbered 20 to 24) and was
designed by Nicholas Grimshaw to accommodate the quarter-of-a-mile-
long Eurostar trains which are far longer than any domestic train.
Three stage strategy for Waterloo
Last week Network Rail published its business plan for 2009 to 2014.
This is what it says about Waterloo:
"A three stage strategy for the development of Waterloo station has
been agreed between DfT [Department for Transport] and Network Rail.
The first stage allows a limited number of domestic train services to
utilise elements of the Waterloo International Terminal (WIT) from
December 2008, following the vacation of the facility by Eurostar
services in November 2007.
"Stage two enables the use of the entire WIT facility, providing at
least 10-car capability to all platforms at Waterloo.
The proposal will seek to maximise commercial property opportunities
"Beyond CP4 [ie after 2014], stage 3 proposes to re-develop the entire
Waterloo site, integrating the WIT into a new enhanced facility with
at least 12-car capability to all platforms and a significantly
enlarged concourse, to provide appropriate capacity for the longer
term. The proposal will seek to maximise commercial property
opportunities."
Network Rail proposes to move the station concourse to ground level to
link in with the recently announced Waterloo City Square plans.
New Waterloo to St Pancras bus link
Transport for London has announced that bus route 59, which runs from
Streatham Hill to Euston via Waterloo, will be extended to St Pancras
and King's Cross from Saturday 10 November.
"The extension of route 59 will give a direct journey option between
Waterloo, St Pancras and King's Cross," says John Barry, head of
network development for London Buses. "It also creates new bus links
for Brixton and Kennington."
The change comes following a review of the existing service and
reflects requests received from a number of passenger groups,
including London TravelWatch.
Route 59 runs every 8 minutes during the day and every 12 minutes in
the evening on Monday-Saturday and every 12 minutes on Sundays.
Leake Street
Leake Street, the dingy tunnel that runs below Waterloo Station
between Lower Marsh and York Road, will be closed to vehicle traffic
once Waterloo International shuts. Network Rail is taking over
responsibility for the street which provides an important pedestrian
link between the shopping area in Lower Marsh and the South Bank.
unquote

As the closure of Waterloo International has been foreseen for at
least three/four years why is there now a year's delay in redeploying
the assets?