Waterloo upgrade: Station 'deserted' as commuters take other routes to avoid major work

Trains and buses heading to Waterloo were noticeably emptier this morning as thousands of commuters took alternative routes to work.

The station itself was markedly less busy, as passengers steered clear as a major project began to upgrade capacity at the transport hub.

Rail bosses warned passengers to expect chaos with ten platforms shut for works to upgrade capacity, but commuters spoke of their surprise as passengers appeared to have either stayed at home or find alternative routes to work today.

Trains are not running from several stations in south-west London and stops such as Vauxhall and Wimbledon were expected to be far busier than normal.

Around 270,000 journeys are made to and from Waterloo on a normal day but the works, which are set to run until August 28, have drastically cut capacity.

One commuter called Brian, who travels into London daily from Basingstoke, said trains were quieter than normal and added: "Not the disaster I was expecting."

Over the weekend, operator South West Trains - which runs many services into Waterloo - confirmed no special compensation scheme would be in place for inconvenienced commuters, who have been told to work from home or plan holiday around the disruption if possible.