Issue 6: Trains in berth at London Waterloo


The following answer was published in Issue 6 (Sep/Oct 2004) of e-motion magazine.
Question Why is it necessary to keep unrostered train stock in the platforms at London Waterloo during the period between the morning and evening rush hours, thereby forcing midday leisure travellers to make the long walk to the "front train beyond this point" sign?
Answer

We do not have trains scheduled to berth at London Waterloo for the whole of the period between the morning and evening peaks. However, there are occasions when we have to berth trains for periods of up to an hour and sometimes longer; the main reason is that a number of inward services split on arrival to form two outgoing services. Other reasons are that a train may require the attention of our maintenance staff, there may be infrastructure problems causing trains to be diverted to other platforms, or it may be waiting to join another train.

Richard Davies, Company Performance Manager