Carluccio's and Corney & Barrow confirmed for London Waterloo

06-Jun-2012 - Last updated on 07-Jun-2012 at 14:19 GMT

Related tags Network rail Train station

Carluccio's and Corney & Barrow are the first hospitality operators to be confirmed for the new balcony development at London Waterloo train station which is due to open in July

Carluccio's and Corney & Barrow have been confirmed as the first food and beverage operators to become future tenants at London Waterloo train station when a £10m project to build a new balcony there is completed.

The first stage of the project, which will see 20,000sq.ft of retail space created, is now open and both the Italian restaurant chain and the wine bar operator will start trading next month.

A 220m balcony has been created running along the entire length of the railway station connecting Waterloo with Waterloo East using four new escalators. The project is designed to reduce bottlenecks for both station's 300,000 daily passengers and increase the amount of space dedicated to retail and F&B.

Destination stations

The development is the latest project for Network Rail which is investing in a number of stations to improve the dining and pub and bar offerings for travellers as David Biggs, director of property at Network Rail, explained.

"Following the successful launch of the new western concourse at King’s Cross earlier this year, we are continuing to invest in our stations to improve the facilities, layout and retail environment for passengers."

"The Waterloo balcony project is part of Network Rail’s wider retail strategy to create destination stations for both rail passengers and non-travelling customers, providing a sustainable source of income which can be re-invested directly into the rail network," he said.

C&B Cabin

There will be ten new retail units as part of the development at the Grade II-listed station with the full line-up expected in the coming months. Carluccio's will be joined by a new concept from wine bar operator Corney & Barrow which is aimed entirely at transport hubs.

C&B Cabin will open in 1,000-2,500sq.ft spaces in transport hubs with the aim of opening two sites a year - they follow in the footsteps of a number of operators looking at railway stations and airports to develop and expand.

As well as Waterloo and King's Cross, Network Rail is planning a new concourse at Birmingham New Street which will feature 16,000sq.ft of retail space including for F&B. Last month BigHospitality revealed the restaurants and bars in the newly-opened King's Cross had driven record retail figures at the station.