Afternoon:
10°c
Eurostar's farewell to Waterloo
Dick Murray, Transport Editor14 Nov 2007
It had been the busiest night ever for Eurostar and hundreds of staff.
Not running the trains, but changing from Waterloo to St Pancras International. Everything had been planned with military precision. It may be less than two miles as the crow flies between the stations but the switch has proved to be one of the biggest single operations in railway history.
As the two final Eurostar trains arrived at Waterloo last night - the 7.28pm from Brussels and the 7.58pm from Paris - workmen began putting up hoardings.
The last passenger off the final train brought the total to 81,891,738 having travelled since Eurostar began operations exactly 13 years ago.
A huge banner proclaimed "Goodbye Waterloo, Hallo St Pancras."
Of Eurostar's 1,500 staff, around 350, working in shifts, are on duty at any one time. They clocked off last night and reported to the new offices today.
At the same time train drivers moved their £24 million-a-time, quarter-mile-long Eurostars, from Waterloo and the North Pole depot near Wormwood Scrubs to St Pancras and the new Temple Mills depot at Stratford.
Other trains in the 27-strong fleet not in use have been parked in depots close to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels-Midi/Zuid.
Station staff, drivers, train managers, catering crews, computer and IT personnel, security, immigration, customs, British Transport Police and a contingent of their French colleagues based here, all moved.
But there is one department staying at Waterloo, for the time being at least - the chefs who prepare the on-board meals for the 17 trains a day to Paris, 10 to Brussels and the single service to the Disneyland Resort, Paris. The chefs work in a huge area beneath the main Eurostar complex-Suitable accommodation for them has yet to be found at St Pancras.
So the thousands of meals a day will be prepared at Waterloo and then rushed across the capital by road to St Pancras.
All the engineers from the North Pole depot have had to gather up their tools, from sophisticated computer analysers that detect faults in the Eurostar's complex electronics to the humble spanner.
Ebbsfleet International, the second Eurostar station, close to the M25, will not open until next Monday - mainly because of the logistics in changing terminal headquarters. It was decided that it would be too much of a gamble to open two huge stations on the same day.
Last of the items being moved will be the tables and chairs from the departure lounges at Waterloo that are going to Ebbsfleet, along with security scanning equipment.
The publicity campaign telling passengers of the changeover has involved a UK roadshow and extensive advertising across France, Belgium and the rest of Europe.
Even so, some travellers still didn't get the message and turned up today at Waterloo - where they were redirected by Tube to St Pancras.
Nothing has been left to chance. Eurostar boss Richard Brown said: "Dress rehearsals have been held at night at St Pancras in the run-up. Friends of staff have acted as passengers going through the process of boarding checks with immigration and police. It's a huge logistical challenge and the first time a move on this scale has been done, but it has been years in the planning."
Reader views (5)
We went out on the Eurostar on its last day and back in to St Pancras to say goodbye and hello. Our little 5 year old is potty about the Eurostar trains and was close to tears leaving Waterloo. The new station is amazing. The Eurostar is the only way to travel.
- Darren, Rochester, 15/11/2007 12:27
Report abuse
Good news. Trains closer by the centre and faster. Hopefully the on-board service will bow become better.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 14/11/2007 18:56
Report abuse
Now that Eurostar has abandoned its customers travelling to Waterloo and Charing Cross, its is essential that the Waterloo facilities should be utilised to provide continued services.
- Brian Edmonds, Farnham, UK, 14/11/2007 16:09
Report abuse
Don't worry David, it will not become an abandoned eyesore. The Eurostar terminal is being taken over by Southwest Trains who will be starting new services to take advantage of the increased capacity. It will be good for the residents and commuters.
- Jonathan Thomas, Chicago, USA, 14/11/2007 14:41
Report abuse
Why did they waste money building the terminus at Waterloo in the first place if the plan was to move it to St Pancras. What are they going to do with the space at Waterloo and are we the residents going to be left with the blue eyesore that we have had since it opened.
- David Kitemaker-Hall, London, UK, 14/11/2007 14:15
Report abuse
