15.02.17
Waterloo commuters take virtual reality tour around new station
London commuters have today been given a chance to look around the new International Terminal at Waterloo station – despite the fact it hasn’t been built yet.
With the use of virtual reality headsets, passengers at Waterloo were given a 360-degree snapshot of what the £800m investment would look like when it is completed in December 2018.
The works will look to rebuild the former International Terminal and bring in five platforms for commuter use – boosting Waterloo’s capacity by 30%.
The technology will continue to be used at numerous passenger events as part of a wider campaign to educate and inform passengers about the alterations to their service in August.
The plans will bring in modern facilities to the station and re-introduce platforms 20-24 back into permanent use, allowing longer 10-carriage trains to run to London.
Becky Lumlock, route managing director at Network Rail, commented on the changes: “At the moment we’re working really hard to make sure passengers plan ahead for the changes to services this August, and bringing the five former international platforms back into use is a really exciting prospect and a huge step towards providing a better railway for passengers at Waterloo.”
This is why the infrastructure owner wants to show passengers just what to expect by using virtual reality headsets, Lumlock added.
Christian Roth, managing director for South West Trains, also expressed his excitement at the works, saying: “When fully operational, these platforms will provide 18 trains per hour during the busiest times of the day, providing thousands of extra seats and helping to increase overall capacity by 30%.
“We hope passengers enjoy the experience and get a clearer understanding of the work being carried out to improve their journeys."
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