TWO of Britain’s busiest trains stations will close again just days after reopening.
The busy London hubs had only been reopened for a week following a £20million revamp.
Two London train stations are closing again just days after reopeningCredit: GettyCharing Cross will be closed over the weekendCredit: Alamy
London Charing Cross and Waterloo East will both be closed on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23.
The stations only reopened on Monday, August 17 after a major 22-day closure for essential engineering work.
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Network Rail said the £20million programme saw engineers replace almost 2km of track between Charing Cross and Waterloo East, alongside improvements to platforms and structures.
Engineers also replaced sets of switches and crossings, replacing equipment that had been in use since 1990.
Drainage at Waterloo East was also upgraded, while platforms at Charing Cross were rebuilt with new foundations and surfaces.
Work was also carried out on the 175-year-old Hungerford Bridge, which carries the railway across the Thames, as well as the pedestrian bridge linking Waterloo East and London Waterloo.
The latest closure is part of the follow-up engineering works linked to the wider project.
Passengers are also being warned that further disruption is planned later in the year, with both stations due to close again on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11.
Passengers affected by the upcoming weekend closure are being urged to check their journey before setting off.
TWO of the UK’s busiest train stations will reopen tomorrow after a major closure.
The transport hubs were shut off to the public last month in order for a huge £20million refurbishment to take place.
Two major London train stations are set to reopen after a big closureCredit: AlamyCharing Cross and Waterloo East will welcome passengers back from August 17Credit: Alamy
London‘s Charing Cross and Waterloo East train stations were both out of service for 22-days, with the revamp project having begun on July 26.
Serving millions of passengers between them every year, they’re two of the capital’s most used stations.
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The closure meant that all Charing Cross and Waterloo East services were cancelled, with commuters having to use alternative routes.
Southeastern Rail trains continued to run during the works but trains that usually terminated at Charing Cross were diverted to London Victoria, London Blackfriars, London Cannon Street or London Bridge.
But with the works now completed, services will resume as usual on Monday,August 17.
While services will return to normal at the two stations on August 17, a further closure is planned on August 23 for one day so engineers can ensure the works were completed successfully.
The stations shut down in order for engineering works to take place, with £20million spent on regenerating tracks, platforms and bridges.
The work was given the green light in a bid to keep the stations “fit for the future” and make travelling safer and more reliable for passengers.
Almost two kilometres of 36-year-old track was replaced, while Charing Cross’s platforms needed repairs.
Structural repairs to the Waterloo East to London Waterloo pedestrian link bridge and the Hungerford Bridge were also part of the project.
Scott Brightwell, train services director at Southeastern Railway, said: “The £20million investment we are delivering will see 1990s track and platforms upgraded to make journeys safer and more reliable, and Victorian era structures strengthened to remain fit for the future.”
He added that the regeneration was scheduled for over the school summerholidays, in order to reduce disruption.
With schools closed and passenger numbers around 20 per cent lower, the dates were chosen to “help manage the impact on customers”.
ONE airport in Europe has just become the most busy on the continent – beating London Heathrow’s record.
It’s about to get even busier too as it’s preparing to open a fourth runway later this year.
Istanbul Airport will open a fourth runway later this yearCredit: Shutterstock EditorialThe hub that opened in 2018 is hoping to get millions of passengers by 2028Credit: Alamy
In the hope to get up to 200million passengers by 2028, Istanbul Airport in Turkey is increasing the amount of runways it has from three to four.
Kadri Samsunlu, the CEO of İGA revealed the fourth runway was being been constructed at the cost £428million, according to local media.
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At the moment, the hub has a rare triple runway – and it was the first hub in Europe to have one.
Essentially, it means the airport can have three flights take off or land at the same time.
Istanbul Airportis the second airport in the city and officially opened in late October 2018, before becoming fully operational in April 2019.
Istanbul Airport in Turkey is now the busiest airport in EuropeCredit: Getty
It was even announced as being the ‘world best’ in 2024, according toTravel + Leisure.
Inside, the airport has sleep pods for anyone with a layover who wants to take a nap.
It also has business pods for those needing to take work calls.
For passengers aged between 15 and 30 years old, there is a Youth Lounge Area with lots to do, it has a PlayStation, music, snacks and four hours of free Wi-Fi.
What is it like to travel through Istanbul Airport?
THE Sun’s Assitant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski visited the airport in 2024 – here’s what she found…
“If there’s one airport I wouldn’t mind being seriously delayed in, it’s Istanbul in Turkey.
“The place is vast and shiny with enough food (for any budget), shopping (think chic clothes and hand-painted kitchenware), and entertainment (there’s even a library home to 2,000 books) to keep you occupied for hours on end.
“Better still, if your flight gets cancelled you won’t even need to endure the faff of security again as the large Yotel sits airside.
“I visited last year and couldn’t have been more grateful for the size of the place, meaning I could whizz straight past the screaming kids in the massive Lego store and head straight to the food courts where I had no problem finding a quiet seat for a drink – Çay Saati has traditional Turkish tea.
“In fact many stores in the airport blend Turkish traditions with the modern world and you could certainly get a flavour of Turkey without ever leaving the terminal.
“The size of the place comes with a downside, though. Make sure you keep an eye out for your gate as it will take you a while to walk there – and try not to get lost on the way.”
GETTING around the capital is about to get harder for three weeks of the school summer holidays.
Charing Cross and Waterloo East train stations will close today until the middle of next month.
Waterloo East and Charing Cross train stations will close for three weeksCredit: Getty
It comes as both stations are set to get an upgrade, costing £20million overall.
The stations will then both reopen on August 16.
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However, this won’t be the end of closures for the two stations as there will be further closures between August 22 and 23 and between October 10 and 11.
Across the initial first closure, travellers will need to head to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Cannon Street or London Blackfriars instead.
Though, commuters will be able to use alternative routes, including on the Underground and on buses, for no extra cost.
Works on the stations include repairing the 175-year-old Hungerford Bridge, which trains head over the River Thames on.
During the closures, maintenance work will be carried out on the stationsCredit: Alamy
A number of commuters have taken to social media to share their outrage at the closure.
One person commented: “All these upgrades they do, and yet their still rail replacement most weekends.”
Another person said: “With Charing Cross and Waterloo East closed for three weeks, this will inconvenience a huge number of passengers.
“The least Southeastern could do is provide more off-peak trains during the morning rush hour to help cope with the increased demand.”
A third person said: “R.I.P. my commute I guess.”
Scott Brightwell, train services director at Southeastern Railway, previously said: “The £20 million investment we are delivering will see 1990s track and platforms upgraded to make journeys safer and more reliable, and Victorian- era structures strengthened to remain fit for the future.
“By consolidating the work into a 22-day closure, supported by preparation and follow-up weekends, we can complete the work more quickly and with less disruption overall than the alternative options of 60 weekend closures or four to five, nine-day closures.”
He added: “We have planned the closure for the summer, when passenger numbers are around 20 per cent lower and schools are closed, to help manage the impact on customers.”
Travellers are urged to plan ahead and check before they travel.
On a 75-mile cliff-hugging stretch of highway in California, traffic is way up, despite soaring gas prices. And locals expect the busiest summer in years.
The road is Highway 1 in Big Sur, which reopened in January after three years of repair and reconstruction following a pair of landslides. Drivers can once again embark on the state’s most famous road trip, covering the 100 miles between Cambria to the south and Carmel to the north without leaving the two-lane coastal highway. And they’re heading out in big numbers.
Caltrans estimates that as of May, Big Sur restaurant and retailer guest counts are up 40% from last year, and that northbound traffic at Ragged Point, the southern gateway to Big Sur, has risen 900% year-over-year.
People pose for photos near Bixby Bridge. Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors voted to explore a 12-month ban on parking around the bridge.
Safety cones prevent parking along Coast Road near the Bixby Bridge.
“Take your time,” said Kirk Gafill, co-owner of the popular Nepenthe restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, offering advice to travelers. “You’re going to be sharing the road with a number of people.”
As travelers rediscover the road, the cost of driving has been shooting skyward. California’s average gas price ($6.11 per gallon as of May 26) is up 26% from the year before. In early April, rates hit $9.99 at the isolated gas station in the Big Sur community of Gorda.
For spring and summer travelers, these numbers would seem to pose a stark question: Stay home and save money, or head for the coast because the road is finally open and it’s still cheaper than flying?
So far, the latter answer is winning big.
Fog lingers off the coast of Highway 1.
“We are definitely seeing a huge uptick in our reservations,” said Megan Handy, assistant general manager at the upscale Treebones resort. She estimated that bookings are 30% or more ahead of last year, and rates are unchanged since then. But “it’s still not feeling super crowded, which is nice. Everything still feels kind of calm.”
But added traffic has raised some anxiety. On May 19, Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors voted to explore a 12-month ban on parking at Bixby Bridge, one of the region’s top photo spots.
Over the years, the number of cars parking near the bridge — often illegally, sometimes impeding emergency vehicles — has risen. The proposed parking moratorium won’t take effect until the supervisors discuss it further.
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Busy as things are, several business owners pointed out that many international travelers have not yet returned — perhaps because most make their plans more than six months ahead, perhaps because of global politics, perhaps a little of each.
The biggest challenge for businesses during this resurgence? “Restaffing and retaining,” said Handy at Treetops.
At Nepenthe, Gafill said his business has seen a 45% boost in guest volume since the road’s reopening. Gafill said he would have expected a 35% pickup, “simply by virtue of reopening the highway.” The additional 10%, he said, might be “all that pent-up demand,” aided by “a very beautiful and very dry winter,” followed by a mild spring.
A lunch crowd dines at popular restaurant Nepenthe.
Another possible factor: Nobody can be sure how long the road will remain open.
To cope with the influx of people, Gafill said, “everybody is trying to recruit and retain their existing staff.”
At the Ragged Point Inn, where rates dropped as low as $149 nightly last fall, rates are back over $200 and staffers are suggesting that customers book at least six months ahead. The inn has reopened its snack bar for the first time since early 2023, and management is investing in capital upgrades and staging live music on weekends throughout the summer.
Business “is up over 100%,” said Diane Ramey, whose family owns the inn. “I know not all of our neighbors are having the same lift, but everybody is doing better.”
Traffic approaching Bixby Bridge.
A visitor poses in an oversized chair at Big Sur River Inn.
Even at the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine monastery above Lucia, the road’s reopening and coming summer season have made a difference. Bookings are up an estimated 30% at the hermitage, which rent rooms and cottages (for two nights or more) to visitors who agree to its requirement of silence.
Big Sur business owners advise visitors to travel on weekdays for less traffic and the best hotel rates, and to get on the road as early as possible.
Since its opening in 1937, the highway has been vulnerable to landslides and shifting ground, operating on a longstanding cycle of landslide, closure, repair, reopening and then another landslide, or sometimes a fire. The U.S. Geological Survey has identified the Big Sur coastline as one of the most landslide-prone areas in the western United States. The 2023-2026 closure was the longest in the highway’s history.
Over time, road crews have used increasingly sophisticated strategies. In the most recent efforts, Caltrans said, it used drones to help survey the slopes and remotely operated bulldozers and excavators to reduce risks to workers.
During the closure, no traffic was allowed on 6.8-mile span from just north of Lucia until about a mile south of the Esalen Institute. Drivers detoured inland by way of U.S. 101.
