Today, Tuesday the 11th of July 2023, saw colleagues from both Network Rail and South Western Railway celebrate London Waterloo Station's 175th anniversary. A special event was organised at the station, in order to celebrate, and saw 50 rail industry guests attend, including Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP; Andrew Haines, Network Rail's Chief Executive; Peter Lord Hendy, Network Rail Chair and Claire Mann, SWR Managing Director.
The event saw staff members from Network Rail and South Western Railway create a joint choir to welcome guests with some fitting songs such as The Kink's Waterloo Sunset and, of course, ABBA's Waterloo. Several speeches also took place alongside the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and a visit by one of South Western Railway's brand-new Arterio trains.
Ahead of the event formally getting underway, attendees were given a ‘behind the scenes' tour of the station's fascinating secret passageways which include oddities such as deserted shooting ranges, an old snooker table and a bathtub which rail workers used to wash off following a day of working on the railway.
London Waterloo station opened on the 11th of July 1848 and was then called ‘Waterloo Bridge' and was a replacement for Nine Elms station which was located nearby and had opened just 10 years before.
London Waterloo now marks the country's busiest station and a key transport hub for the capital and the southwest. The vast station now features an incredible 24 platforms and supports commuters and those travelling for leisure to traverse the city.
The station has seen many events throughout its lifetime and most recently played a vital role in supporting the Coronation of The King and the Queen Consort seeing the arrival of over 5,000 Armed Forces personnel who made their way to London by train before leading two processions to and from Westminster Abbey for Their Majesties
The station has seen enormous change in its 175 years including a great deal of expansion during the end of the 19th century when it was extended to cope with demand in 1885, leading to the opening of the ‘north station' which saw platform numbers increase to 18.
In 1899, permission was given for London & South Western Railway to fully rebuild and expand the station, which took 20 years and saw the station's spacious concourse formed and 21 platforms.
Until the early 1990s, Waterloo was mostly unchanged however this changed as the Eurostar temporarily opened and led to the addition of the first-floor balcony with escalators and lifts being created in July 2012 in order to reduce congestion and bring step-free access for the neighbouring Waterloo East station.
Mark Killick, Network Rail's Wessex route director, said:
“I'm delighted to have come together with our rail industry partners to celebrate the 175th birthday of London Waterloo Station, which serves millions of customers and welcomes them to the heart of the capital on a yearly basis.”
“The station holds a lot of history and is a key transport hub for many and will continue to be for years to come which is why it's important for us to carry out a series of refurbishments to continue improving the customer experience and futureproof it for generations to come.”
Claire Mann, South Western Railway's managing director, said:
“At South Western Railway, we're proud to serve London Waterloo, Britain's busiest railway station and a place that many of our colleagues call home.”
“We're pleased to mark this very special milestone alongside our industry colleagues today. It's a reminder that while so much has changed over the life of this wonderful station, the sense of camaraderie and friendship that the railway family feels for each other remains the same.”
“While we're celebrating the first 175 years of Waterloo's history, we're also looking forward to serving our customers here for many more years to come.”
Happy 175th Birthday London Waterloo. One of South Western Railway’s Class 701 Arterio trains were used for the anniversary and are schedule to enter service later this year.