Waterloo station upgrade – monitoring the impact on passengers

04 August 2017

More than half of London Waterloo station will be closed down over the summer, bringing delays and disruption for passengers.

Between 5 and 28 August, fewer South West Trains services will run while work starts to extend the platforms. Given the scale of the work we are paying close attention to the impact on passengers.

Awareness of the disruption

Transport Focus, working with South West Trains and Network Rail, has been monitoring passengers’ awareness and understanding of the works to evaluate their reactions to the planned alterations and how these are communicated.

Over nine out of ten passengers are now aware of what is going on and knowledge of the reasons for the work has gone up and information is seen as good.

Our research suggests that while half of passengers will continue to use the train during the main disruption, over a third will work at home or other places some days. Nearly a quarter are also taking leave at some point during the works and nearly a fifth using a different route (where one is available).

Click here to find our research.

So, what are we doing?

Transport Focus will be at London Waterloo and other train stations and travelling on trains whilst the works take place, primarily during peak times in the morning and evenings.

We will monitor the impact on passengers including levels of overcrowding, the provision of passenger information and whether the temporary measures put in place appear to be working.

We will also monitor the situation online via social media, National Rail enquiries and the South West Trains website to ensure accurate information is being provided to passengers.

Gathering passengers’ experiences

Twice a week we will send out a short survey via our Transport User Panel to passengers who regularly use South West Trains services and have agreed to inform us of their journey experience during the works.

What will happen to the insight gathered from passengers?

We will discuss any issues immediately with the train operators responsible and Network Rail, recommending improvements if needed. Whether it be helpful staff or clear communications, we will of course also feedback positive experiences.

Our website will be updated frequently with reports on how the works are being handled.

You can find out more information here.