Eurostar considers closing Waterloo link

by **Sazz** on Sat Mar 13, 2004 9:55 am

The Eurostar International station at Waterloo may be closed to save money when the high-speed link is extended into St Pancras in 2007, it emerged today.

Eurostar chiefs have for some time been weighing the pros and cons of keeping open two London terminals but now feel Waterloo will prove too expensive to keep as a standby.

Closing the five Eurostar platforms could prove a boost for commuters travelling on some of the most crowded lines into mainline Waterloo - London's busiest station and used by more than 220,000 passengers a day.

South West Trains' domestic services frequently stack up outside the station waiting for a platform to become free. The Eurostar facilities could easily be converted for commuter use.

One senior SWT manager said: 'We would welcome the extra space with open arms.'

The curved �130 million glass and steel international section of the station which houses the quarter-mile-long Eurostar trains was opened a decade ago. It has won three architectural awards.

Although Eurostar passenger numbers are rising -20 per cent up on last year - they are still only a third of the 20 million estimated who would use the service by this year.

The company is in a huge battle with the airlines and has considerably boosted numbers of new passengers with its all-year fares package, with prices from �59 return.

Eurostar is reviewing the station closure and will make a decision in September.

from thisistravel.co.uk

by **HW Chris** on Sat Mar 13, 2004 10:41 am

Nooo...

Don't close it. I live on the mainline in to Waterloo, I can be there in 40 Minutes. It's perfect for a weekend/day in france.

But why would they listen to the people that use the service eh?!

by **Pingu** on Sun Mar 14, 2004 12:01 pm

Chris

I agree the Eurostar is good for long trips to Paris, Bruges etc but you can drive your little Ka to Folkestone in just over an hour and pay �25 return to Calais on the Shuttle for a car and 8 people which isnt half bad! Crossing only takes about half an hour too and you arrive right by the Cit� Europe shopping centre.

Soph