Portsmouth South MP, Stephen Morgan, visited Waterloo International Terminal today to meet with rail bosses and review improvement works being undertaken by the Wessex Capacity Alliance.
Work on the Waterloo and South West upgrade started in April 2016 when we began re-developing the former Waterloo International Terminal for domestic services. The project is expected to be complete by December 2018 and will provide the biggest package of improvements to London Waterloo since the 1930s.
The project will increase capacity, making space for 45,000 extra passengers every morning and every evening – equivalent to a 30% boost in peak time capacity at Waterloo.
Stephen raised issues of overcrowding, wi-fi quality, and service reliability with SWR. The Portsmouth MP also discussed South Western Railway’s reaction to the heatwave and sought assurances that appropriate measures are in place and that passengers will be kept abreast of any developments affecting their journeys.
Stephen Morgan MP, said:
‘Letters about rail services in and out of Portsmouth quite understandably form a great proportion of my postbag and I’m committed to standing up for people in our city who rely on trains for work or family.
The heatwave has brought significant disruption and misery for Pompey commuters so it was useful to visit Waterloo today, as part of my regular engagement with the rail companies, to make sure they are doing all they can to mitigate these issues as well as get an update on longer term improvements.
These capacity improvement works should make a big difference to Portsmouth passengers once they’re complete, meaning more carriages and modern, more spacious concourses. Waterloo is the country’s busiest station so the investment from Network Rail isn’t only welcome but highly necessary.’
