[holding answer 21 November 2007]: Ownership of Waterloo International transfers to the Department at the end of March 2008 following Eurostar’s decommissioning of the facility as an international station. The Department is currently working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the partial conversion of Waterloo International potentially to accommodate some domestic passenger services. Works on site are expected to commence soon after the station transfers to the Department and will take several months to complete. Services are then expected to operate into and out of platform 20 of Waterloo International from the start of the timetable change date in December 2008.
Options for the medium to long-term use of all five platforms are being assessed by the Department and Network Rail as part of a wider strategy for the upgrade of Waterloo station.