Passengers' Panel

Passengers' Panel

Issue 3: Waiting rooms


The following answer was published in Issue 3 (Mar/Apr 2004) of e-motion magazine.
Question Why do platform waiting rooms at Clapham Junction close in the winter evenings, just when it's colder, darker and less welcoming in general?
Answer

At present, there are no South West Trains-managed waiting rooms at Clapham Junction. The only customer waiting rooms are the refreshment areas, which are subject to lease agreements and are controlled by the people who run these facilities. They provide their own staffing levels and are free to choose their own opening hours. We would like to improve the situation, and are in the early stages of exploring the possibility of introducing our own waiting room in the future.

Joel Mitchell, Group Station Manager, Clapham Junction

Generally speaking, a staff presence is required for a waiting room to be maintained at acceptable standards for passengers. For this reason, we tend to lock waiting rooms when staff go home in the evenings to avoid problems such as vandalism.

Ian Johnston, Head of Stations