Waterloo: Delays and disruption as station reopens after month of engineering work

Rail bosses expect London Waterloo to be running a normal service by 2pm on Tuesday following the latest set of delays to hit the station.

Commuters faced fresh travel misery after Waterloo station suffered delays and disruption as it reopened following major works, but South Western believe all the issues will be resolved early in the afternoon.

Some rail users even reported services running to Britain's busiest rail station being cancelled on Tuesday morning as the station attempted to reopen for business as normal for the first time since essential engineering works.

Some commuters had trains cancelled. Credit: PA

The disruptions, caused by a problem with the signalling system, was just the latest frustration for users of the South West Train line who have already had a month of severely reduced and slower services as the station continued to undergo an £800 million redevelopment.

Several stations were closed throughout the period, while a number of Waterloo's platforms were also shut - as commuters were advised to use other means of transport.

The rail station, whose overhaul will see a 33% increase in total capacity at peak times from the end of 2018, was expected to operate as normal following the Bank Holiday but stations including Queenstown Road, Earlsfield and Norbiton were immediately temporarily closed.

Travelers using the South West Trains line faced a month of chaos. Credit: PA

Waterloo's major work will see its platforms extended to allow longer trains to operate on suburban routes from this December - providing more space for passengers.

Over Bank Holiday Monday, a signalling problem and platform closures meant the vast majority of the station was out of action with many cancellations.

But Network Rail said it expected Waterloo "to be fully reopened ... for our passengers" on Tuesday.

A spokesman said: "One thousand engineers and track-side staff have worked shifts 24 hours a day for the last three-and-a-half weeks to increase capacity at Waterloo by 30% at morning and afternoon peaks from the end of next year."

He added: "The work will benefit the many millions of passengers who use the station, for decades to come, turning Waterloo into a transport hub for the 21st century."