London Waterloo - a photo on Flickriver

London Waterloo

            South West Trains class 455/7 suburban unit number 5721 forms the delayed 09.50 Waterloo to Reading on 7th November 2012, I believe the delay was while a driver was found. On the right South West Trains Class 444 unit number 444030 forms what is believed to be a Haslemere train.
The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) opened the station on 11 July 1848 as 'Waterloo Bridge Station' (from the nearby crossing over the Thames) when its main line was extended from Nine Elms. The station, designed by William Tite, was raised above marshy ground on a series of arches. The unfulfilled intention was for a through station with services to the City. In 1886 it officially became 'Waterloo Station', reflecting long-standing common usage, even in some L&SWR timetables. As the station grew, it became increasingly ramshackle. The original 1848 station became known as the 'Central Station' as other platforms were added. The new platform sets were known by nicknames - the two platforms added for suburban services in 1878 were the 'Cyprus Station', whilst the six built in 1885 for use by trains on the Windsor line became the 'Khartoum Station'. Each of these stations-within-a-station had its own booking office, taxi stand and public entrances from the street, as well as often poorly marked and confusing access to the rest of the station. By 1899 Waterloo had 16 platform roads but only 10 platform numbers due to platforms in different sections of the station or on different levels, sometimes duplicating the number of a platform elsewhere. A little-used railway line even crossed the main concourse on the level and passed through an archway in the station building to connect to the South Eastern Railway's smaller station, now Waterloo East, whose tracks lie almost perpendicular to those of Waterloo. Passengers were, not surprisingly, confused by the layout and by the two adjacent stations called 'Waterloo'. In 1899 the L&SWR decided on a total rebuilding. Legal powers were granted that year, and extensive groundwork and slum clearance were carried out until 1904, when construction on the terminus proper began. The new station was opened in stages, the first five new platforms opening in 1910. Construction continued sporadically throughout the First World War, and the new station finally opened in 1922 with 21 platforms and a concourse nearly 800 feet (250 m) long. With over 91 million passenger entries and exits between April 2010 and March 2011, Waterloo is easily Britain's busiest railway station in terms of passenger usage. The Waterloo complex is one of the busiest passenger terminals in Europe. It has more platforms and a greater floor area than any other station in the UK (but Clapham Junction, just under four miles (6 km) down the line, has the largest number of trains). It is the terminus of a network of railway lines from Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, South West England, and the south-western suburbs of London.
   

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / London / South Bank (show map)

Taken on: November 7, 2012

Tags:

“Waterloo

Station”

Waterloo”

London

“Southern

Region”

“South

West

Trains”

EMU

“Electric

Multiple

Unit”

England

Railways

“modern

railways”

“multiple

units”

“L&SWR” « less

Sets appears in: • Southern, South West & South Eastern Trains • Modern Railways

Groups appears in: • South West Trains • SouthWest Trains more » • UK Multiple Units « less

Camera: Nikon D80, f/11.0, 1/180 sec, 62mm (=93mm), ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D80
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.006 sec (1/180)
Focal Length:	62mm (35mm equivalent: 93mm)
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Windows
Show full info

Stats: 4,456 views

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: