THREE former Eurostar platforms at London Waterloo reopened permanently on December 10 as part of the £800million project to increase capacity on the South Western Railway network.
Apart from a brief period where they were used during engineering work in 2017/18, the platforms have been disused since international services switched to St Pancras in November 2007.
Platforms 20-22 are now used by SWR trains serving Reading, Windsor and south-west London.
A new concourse occupying part of the former Eurostar terminal has also opened to the public, providing additional circulating space and a link to the station.
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The expansion follows work to extend platforms at Waterloo and nine other stations along the route over the last year, ready for the introduction of longer 10-car trains.
Platforms 23 and 24 are due to come into use in May 2019 as part of the next timetable change.
By December 2020, South Western Railway aims to deliver 52,000 extra peak-time seats into and out of Waterloo, taking advantage of the new facilities.
A new retail, leisure and cultural space underneath platforms 20-24 will open in 2021, offering a mix of independent, high street and national stores and food and drink outlets.
Read more News and Features in the January 2019 issue of The RM – on sale no
