LONDON Waterloo remains Britain’s busiest station, according to new figures by the Office of Rail and Road, with annual passenger numbers reaching more than 99 million in one year.

The total number of passenger journeys at London Waterloo, as measured by entries and exits, reached 99.1 million for 2015/16, while another station on the Alton to Waterloo line, Clapham Junction, has replaced Charing Cross in the top 10 most used stations with 32.2 million entries and exits. It comes as Network Rail and South West Trains continue their work to boost capacity at Waterloo by 30 per cent.

Becky Lumlock, route managing director at Network Rail, said: “The new figures released today by the Office of Rail and Road demonstrate the extraordinary growth in the number of people using the railway and underline the need for the national railway upgrade plan and the £800m investment in the Waterloo & South West upgrade.

“Passenger numbers are at their highest level since the Victorian era and are continuing to grow, so it is vital that we keep investing and deliver a better Wessex route.”

The £800m investment is the biggest package of improvements for passengers using Waterloo for decades, and will include five additional platforms.

Christian Roth, managing director for South West Trains, added: “The continued rise in passengers using this railway, particularly at London Waterloo, shows just how important it is to increase capacity and improve the facilities for passengers as quickly as possible.

“The Waterloo & South West upgrade will provide longer platforms, new trains and 30 per cent more capacity for passengers, improving the journeys of tens of thousands of people every day.”

A large chunk of the work to boost capacity at Waterloo will be delivered between August 5-28 next year when platforms one to nine will close for three-and-a-half weeks, while platforms 20 to 24 will temporarily re-open.