Waterloo East | |
|---|---|
| London Waterloo East | |
 Waterloo East viewed from theLondon Eye | |
  Waterloo East Location of Waterloo East in Central London | |
| Location | Waterloo |
| Local authority | London Borough of Lambeth |
| Grid reference | TQ313800 |
| Managed by | Southeastern |
| Owner | |
| Station code | WAE |
| DfT category | B |
| Number of platforms | 4 (lettered A–D) |
| Fare zone | 1 |
| OSI | Waterloo Waterloo .svg) Embankment Southwark [1] |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2019–20 |  10.075 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.863 million[2] |
| 2020–21 | 2.194 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.255 million[2] |
| 2021–22 |  5.109 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.557 million[2] |
| 2022–23 | 5.430 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.641 million[2] |
| 2023–24 | 5.676 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.692 million[2] |
| Railway companies | |
| Original company | South Eastern Railway |
| Pre-grouping | South Eastern and Chatham Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 January 1869 (1869-01-01) | Opened asWaterloo Junction |
| 7 July 1935 | RenamedWaterloo |
| 2 May 1977 | RenamedWaterloo East |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°30′13″N0°06′40″W / 51.5037°N 0.111°W /51.5037; -0.111 |
 London transport portal | |
Waterloo East railway station, also known asLondon Waterloo East,[3] is a railway station incentral London on the line fromCharing Cross through toLondon Bridge towardsKent, in the south-east of England. It is to the east ofLondon Waterloo railway station and close toSouthwark tube station.
The station opened in 1869 asWaterloo Junction, to provide a connection between theLondon and South Western Railway at Waterloo, and theSouth Eastern Railway at Charing Cross. A dedicated line was built between Waterloo and Waterloo East, which was later converted to a footpath. Trains originally ran toCannon Street, but after competition from theLondon Underground, these were withdrawn as a wartime measure in 1916. The station continued to be connected to Waterloo mainline via a footbridge. Waterloo East was given its current name in 1977, and remains an important interchange in London. It is part of theLondon station group. The station is located inLondon fare zone 1.
The station is on theSouth Eastern Main Line 61chains (1.2 km) down the line from Charing Cross,[4] on the other side of theRiver Thames across fromHungerford Bridge. Although Waterloo East is a through-station, it is classed for ticketing purposes as acentral London terminus.[5]
Services through the station are operated bySoutheastern and it is situated withinLondon fare zone 1. The main access is via an elevated walkway across Waterloo Road, which connects it to the largerWaterloo station.[6] The eastern ends of the platforms provide pedestrian connection toSouthwark station which is served byLondon Underground'sJubilee line;[7] at street level there is an entrance in Sandell Street. Connections with the Underground'sBakerloo,Northern andWaterloo & City lines are available atWaterloo Underground station.[8]
The four platforms at Waterloo East are lettered rather than numbered to ensure that staff and passengers do not confuse the platforms at the two stations.[n 1]
The station is served byLondon Buses daytime, peak hours express, and nighttime routes.[10][11]
_Waterloo_RJD_126.jpg)
The station was built by theSouth Eastern Railway (SER) after the line toCharing Cross opened in 1864.[12] The company were under pressure to connect withLondon and South Western Railway (LSWR) services, as it would allow the latter to connect to the City of London via Cannon Street. The LSWR were not interested in making Charing Cross a joint station, but were amenable to providing a connection with the SER next to Waterloo.[13]
In 1867, the two companies agreed to build a joint connection so that passengers could change from LSWR to SER services in order to reach theCity of London viaCannon Street.[14] Another station,Blackfriars was built to the east, but it was closed in favour of a connecting station with the LSWR.[15] Construction of a single-line, 5-chain (100 m) connection begun in May 1868, and the new connection station opened on 1 January 1869 at a total cost of £14,290 (£1,667,000 as of 2023). Blackfriars station closed on the same date.[16][17] Trains began running from Waterloo Junction to Charing Cross and Cannon Street around every five minutes.[18]Queen Victoria used the connection for royal trains travelling fromWindsor Castle to Dover and Continental Europe.[19]
The original station was built with two platforms, which were 530 feet (160 m) and 440 feet (130 m) long, and both 18 feet (5.5 m) wide. The waiting room and ticket offices were housed in arches underneath the line.[20] The bridge connection from the main Waterloo station included a movable platform, which allowed passengers to cross directly into Waterloo East when trains were not running. It was mounted on a four-wheel truck which could easily be moved out of the way if a train needed to come through.[21] The connection ran until January 1893, when it was discontinued because of overcrowding.[12]
When the SER line opened between Charing Cross and Cannon Street in 1864, it was frequented by prostitutes, who discovered the journey between the two stations was sufficiently long to service clients while paying minimum rent. After Waterloo East opened, the frequent stopping of trains there made this impractical.[22]
The connection from Waterloo Junction through to Cannon Street did not prove a success because of competition from theMetropolitan District Railway (now theDistrict line) and the spread of the Underground.[23] Passengers were generally unaware of the existence of the station, as it was not obvious to find it from the main concourse in Waterloo.[24] Following the opening of theWaterloo and City line on 8 August 1898, connections to Cannon Street were reduced.[25] Cross train services from Waterloo Junction to Cannon Street ended on 31 December 1916, as a wartime economy measure.[26]
The dedicated line from Waterloo through to Waterloo Junction was demolished in 1911 when the main-line station underwent an extensive reconstruction.[27] The bridge which carried the line over Waterloo Road subsequently accommodated the pedestrian walkway between the two stations.[28]
TheSouthern Railway renamed the station Waterloo (also known as Waterloo Eastern) on 7 July 1935 and it took its present name on 2 May 1977.[29] The platforms were designated A – D at the same time.[30]
The pedestrian access from Waterloo mainline was replaced by the current high level covered walkway in 1992.[31][28][19] The site of the original rail link, which had been out of use since 1916 was then demolished.[32]
Waterloo East was closed for maintenance on 24 July 1993 so a link with Southwark tube station, then under construction, could be built. It re-opened on 16 August.[29][33] Southwark tube station opened on 20 November 1999 with the extension of the Jubilee line toStratford, and included a direct connection to Waterloo East.[7][34]
In 2012,ticket barriers were installed at the Sandell Street and Southwark station entrances, and also at the main entrance from Waterloo station following the completion of theretail balcony.[35] In 2018, Transport for London announced a new entrance would be built on Greet Street, providing access to both Waterloo East and Southwark.[36]
Mainline railways around the South Bank | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All "up" trains run to Charing Cross only, and depart from platforms B and D. All "down" trains run from platforms A and C.[37]
All services at Waterloo East are operated bySoutheastern usingClass 375,376,465,466 and707EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[38]
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Terminus | South Eastern Railway | Blackfriars | ||
On 25 October 1913, a passenger train coming into Waterloo Junction fromBlackheath collided with a stationary train in heavy fog.[39] Three people were killed and 24 injured.[40] An inquest was held, where it was determined that the accident was caused by negligence of a signalman, though not to the level ofcriminal negligence.[41]
