London Waterloo

Bicycle

If you want to take your bicycle on the train, please check with the train operator first. Visit National Rail for more information.

Bicycle parking

There are 534 cycle spaces available on Cab Road. 

Information for cyclists

Please visit our Information for Cyclists page for tips on cycling and storing your bikes safely at our stations.

Bus

Buses depart from several points around the station. For more information visit TfL buses.

Car

The pick up / drop off point is outside the station reception on Cab Road (Station Approach Road), which is one-way (from Addington Street) and goes around the station. Sat nav postcode: SE1 8SW.

There are two accessible parking bays outside the station reception on Station Approach just beyond the taxi rank. These are intended for pick-up and drop-off.

Car park

The car park is located on Station Approach. For pricing and general car park information, please visit the APCOA parking web page.

London Underground

Lines serving Waterloo Underground:

• Bakerloo
• Northern
• Jubilee
• Waterloo and City

There are several ways into the Underground station:

• steps at the end of platforms 1 – 18
• escalators at the end of platforms 20 – 24
• escalators near platforms 18 – 19
• steps near platform 5
• Jubilee line: escalator opposite platforms 4 and 5.

For information see maps (right) or visit TfL Underground.

Waterloo East station

Access is via the balcony; there are escalators and a lift from the concourse.

Waterloo East is run by Southeastern and serves south-east London, Kent and East Sussex.

Taxi

The taxi rank is just outside through the main arch (exit 3) on Cab Road.

We offer assistance to passengers who need help accessing our facilities and train services. Our Passenger assistance team have access to wheelchairs and passenger assistance vehicles to help us assist you in and around the station.

What services are included?

Our Passenger assistance team can aid with:

• offering a helping hand to the station
• support when boarding, finding a seat, or alighting the train
• meeting you from your train and taking you to your next train or the exit
• arranging a ramp to assist you on or off your train
• assistance relating to a non-visible disability
• advising on the accessibility of other stations across the network for your onward journey
• carrying your bag(s) – up to three items of luggage as per the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

Distances from the concourse to trains can be lengthy at London Waterloo so to assist you in a timely and safe manner we would request our passengers to arrive in good time; we recommend arriving 30 minutes prior to departure.

When arriving at the station by train where it is the terminating stop for the train, our aim is to meet you on time. Sometimes it may take us a little longer because we often assist more than one passenger per train, but we have a service commitment to not exceed 5 minutes from arrival and 10 minutes during disruption.

If you arrive at the station much earlier than your planned departure time, you may have to wait for assistance staff to become available. London Waterloo is one of the busiest stations in the country for Passenger Assistance bookings. Because our station is so busy, we do recommend that you book in advance wherever possible. Pre-booked assistance can be booked up to 2 hours in advance of travel.

Booked assistance

There are several ways you can book assistance. You can contact the relevant train operator for your journey via their website.

• South Western Railway

Alternatively you can visit National Rail. You can also book assistance using the Passenger Assist app.

Turn up and go

As well as booking in advance, you can ask for assistance on the day that you are travelling. For Turn up and go service, passengers are asked to arrive 20 minutes prior to departure. Assistance services are available at all times the station is open. You may need to wait until staff are available to help, but our policy is to make it happen. You can ask any member of staff at the station or go to our assisted travel lounge at the times it is open.

Where to go when you arrive at the station

We have an Assisted Travel Desk located on the main concourse opposite platform 12. This is our assistance meeting point where you can check in for assistance you have prebooked or make a ‘turn up and go’ request.

You can also request support from any of our customer service team; note we have a dedicated team who support the delivery of assistance to our customers, and they can be identified by the purple tabards that they wear, but any member of the railway team can assist you to our dedicated assisted travel desk.

Assisted Travel Desk opening hours

Monday to Thursday: 06:45 – 22:00

Friday and Saturday: 06:45 – 22:30

Sunday: 08:00 – 22:00

There is a comfortable seating/waiting area exclusively for our passengers, marked as priority seating. Outside of these times, passenger assistance services are still available, by speaking to a member of staff on the concourse.

We recognise that all passengers will benefit from changes to make the railway more accessible. Our aim is to make continuous improvements to the accessibility of our services and stations for all our passengers. We have developed station guides for older and disabled passengers.

Waterloo Station Tour – Youtube video

We have created a Station Tour of Waterloo Station to help people travel with confidence. The tour has been designed to support journey planning, give customers a clearer picture of the station before they travel and reduce anxiety. Using the Station Tour, people can find out how to get to all public areas of the station including the toilets, customer service desk, platforms and anywhere else they might need to visit at the station.

Autism Friendly Guide

We have produced a guide to help autistic people confidently and independently travel by train.

Sunflower Scheme

You may choose to wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard to indicate that you have a hidden disability and that you may need a little extra help or time. This is something that our station staff, along with people at many other venues are being trained to recognise.

Hearing loops

Hearing loops are located at each window in our ticket office.

Lift access to all floors

• At Exit 2 between Waterloo Road/Jubilee Line ticket hall and main concourse level/ taxi rank
• In the middle of the station, between concourse and balcony level
• Multiple lifts connecting platforms 20-24 with main concourse, lower concourse, and London Underground ticket hall level.

Tactile paving/panels

Tactile paving/panels are used to help passengers with visual impairments to detect the platform edges at our stations. These are comprised of bumps that are detectable with a walking cane, by guide dogs and/or felt underfoot. At London Waterloo, all of our platforms are fully fitted with tactile paving/panels.

Step-free access

Step-free access to the main station is via:

• Exit 1 on Station Approach, near platform 1.
• Exit 2 (upper level) on Station Approach next to the taxi rank.
• Exit 2 (lower level) on Waterloo Road, next to the London Underground Jubilee Line ticket hall.
• Exit 3 on Station Approach, near the centre of the concourse.

Step-free access to platforms

There is level access from the main concourse to platforms 1 – 19 There is ramp access with a slight slope to platforms 20 – 24. We would advise passengers with reduced mobility to seek assistance.

Our platforms are long, so it may take a little time to reach your train or access our main concourse on arrival therefore you may wish to seek support from one of our station team, to get you where you need to go on time.

Station operating hours

• Monday to Friday: 04:45 – 01:05
• Saturday: 04:45 – 01:50
• Sunday: 05:45 – 01:05

Waterloo is one of the busiest stations in the UK and there are times when the station can become congested. Our station teams manage passenger flow during busier times. Off-peak times are when the station is least busy – these are normally during the week after 0930 in the morning and 1900 in the evening.

Food, drink and shopping

• Search for food, drink and shopping outlet opening hours and services at London Waterloo station on our station retail directory page.

For information about food and drink facilities on trains, visit National Rail.

Cash machines

There are several ATM around the station.

Customer information screens

We have various customer information screens across the station, that provide train information including train times and platform numbers. We also provide audio announcements for all our train services and other customer related information.

Lost property

At the station

The lost property office at Waterloo is at 12 Lower Road, London SE1 8SE.

From the main concourse take the escalators or lift opposite platforms 4-5 (exit 2) to the lower level, turn right and turn right again.

On board a train

If your item is found onboard a train and taken off at a train operators station it will be handled by their lost property teams. Visit the SWR Find lost property webpage for more information.

Left luggage

Left luggage facilities operated by Excess Baggage Co are available next to exit 5, opposite the ramp to platforms 20-24.

Opening hours

• Monday to Sunday: 07:00 to 23:00

Photo booths

Photo booths are located at exit 2 near the top of the escalators.

Seating and Waiting rooms

Seating is located throughout the station including priority seating.

• The main concourse has a large seated area for passengers
• There is limited seating on the balcony
• There is seating available on all platforms

Showers

There are no showers available at this station

Station reception

The station reception is next to the taxi rank on Station Approach.

Toilets, accessible toilets and changing places

Public toilets are located on the main concourse opposite platform 18, and include accessible toilets and baby changing facilities. There’s also an accessible toilet outside exit 3, operated by a RADAR key. There are alternative facilities including accessible toilets in The Sidings retail centre, underneath platforms 20 – 24.

Water fountain

The water fountains are located opposite platform 1 at concourse and balcony level, and opposite platform 18 at concourse level.

WiFi

Free public WiFi. To connect, select the network ‘#FreeStationWiFi’ – this will bring up the landing page. Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘Connect’. For troubleshooting, visit our free station WiFi page.