Arrival time Waterloo before train

[aliciam]

Hi all, I've searched but can't find any helpful information regarding how long before your scheduled departure time should you arrive at Waterloo Station? Never been before and not sure how easy wayfinding is. 

 

This would be Friday, late morning. Thanks so much!

[Globaliser]

If you leave yourself 15 minutes, that should be ample. There is a very big main concourse, above which there are departure boards that will show you which platform your train leaves from. Even with luggage, it won't take you more than 5 minutes to stroll to any of them and get through the gateline, and that will leave plenty of time to walk along the train until you see a carriage that has enough space for you and your luggage. In fact, at 15 minutes before departure the platform number for your train may not even be displayed yet.

[aliciam]

Thank you!

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

4 hours ago, Globaliser said:

In fact, at 15 minutes before departure the platform number for your train may not even be displayed yet.

I took a train from Waterloo at the weekend, for the first time in ages, and noticed that prior to a specific platform being indicated, for some (and maybe all) trains a range of possible platforms was shown, e.g. for my train 12-15. This allows folk to be in roughly the right area on the concourse to board their train. 
 

Southwest mainline services, including trains calling at Southampton, are most likely to leave from the middle block of platforms, 7-16. There are 24 in total since the old Eurostar terminal has been brought back fully into domestic use. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

And just to confirm, there is no form of check-in on the national rail network,. At the gate line, you either scan the bar or QR code on your ticket, or if travelling within the London travel zones, tap a contactless form of payment. 
 

You may need to press a button on the train door to open them. Doors will lock 1 minute or 40 seconds before departure.  

[aliciam]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[MeHeartCruising]

Or you could be like the over-prepared me!  I was staying the night before at a Waterloo area hotel, so I went into the station the night before to check it all out in advance.  I watched things for about 15-20 minutes to see where things were and how the big travel board updated, etc.  The next morning, I still got there about 45 minutes early, just in case.  😀

 

Seriously, I would try to get in front of the travel board at least 20 minutes prior to your departure so you can find your train listing and then monitor the screen until it tells you which track to head to.  

Edited August 4, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[fruitmachine]

18 hours ago, Globaliser said:

In fact, at 15 minutes before departure the platform number for your train may not even be displayed yet.

If you want to see which platform a train is scheduled to go from, use https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/

 

For big stations like Waterloo, the detailed search page at https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/ lets you limit the number of trains displayed.  It's a bit of a train geek's site; if you click through to the individual train you can see every point it passes on the route and both the time and any delay at that point.

 

My only caveat is that sometimes the platform will be changed close to departure time, so double check the signs on the specific platform, and (when displayed) on the train itself.

 

Finally, there are multiple points on the rail network with "Waterloo" in the name.  The station you want is London Waterloo (with a code of WAT).

[Globaliser]

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

My only caveat is that sometimes the platform will be changed close to departure time, so double check the signs on the specific platform, and (when displayed) on the train itself.

 

Which is why it isn't a good idea to rely on that site to tell you which platform to go to at Waterloo if you're expecting to board a train and travel on it. You need to wait until the platform number is displayed on the departure boards at the station. And if you're going to have to wait on the concourse until then in order to be safe, the potentially-unreliable information on realtimetrains or other websites might as well be treated as useless.

 

I love realtimetrains for all sorts of other uses, but this is one use that I would not recommend at Waterloo.

In any event, there is no need to resort to any other information source to try to go to the platform earlier. There is plenty of time to get to the platform and onto the train once the platform number has been displayed.

[fruitmachine]

9 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

You need to wait until the platform number is displayed on the departure boards at the station.

I started using realtimetrains after twice (though not at Waterloo) missing trains because the station board didn't display the platform.  It's not failed me since, and the data comes directly from the signalling data system.

 

Each to their own!

[Globaliser]

7 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

It's not failed me since, and the data comes directly from the signalling data system.

 

But one day, your own explicit caveat will come back to bite you.

 

I had a late platform change just last weekend at East Croydon. It could have been from 1 to 4 (which is on a different island) but fortunately it turned out to be from 1 to 2 on the same island. I doubt that realtimetrains would have notified that change any earlier than we were told, while waiting on the platform.

[fruitmachine]

11 hours ago, Globaliser said:

But one day, your own explicit caveat will come back to bite you.

It can't.. the caveat was that I checked the platform board and, like you, I will be told of a change "while waiting on the platform".

[jrmende63]

Since this is to do with Waterloo train. I will ask here.  

I am booked at Park Plaza County Hall London hotel. I see on the Map very near there is Waterloo Station. Is this the correct place I would go to catch a train to Southampton? And is it walkable from the Hotel to there with very light luggage? Or would a cab be more in order?

[Island2Dweller]

Yes, trains to Southampton leave from Waterloo.

Very walkable from that hotel with light luggage.  Five to ten minute walk.

[jrmende63]

3 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

Yes, trains to Southampton leave from Waterloo.

Very walkable from that hotel with light luggage.  Five to ten minute walk.

Thank you so much!