Best areas to live for commuting to Waterloo

Waterloo is one of the busiest railway stations in Britain and the gateway to the South Bank. The surrounding area includes offices along York Road and the riverside, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College London's Waterloo campus, and some of London's leading cultural institutions, including the National Theatre, the Southbank Centre and the BFI. Westminster and the West End are a short walk across the river.

South Western Railway trains arrive from Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Putney, Richmond, Twickenham, Kingston, Earlsfield, Surbiton and far beyond, making Waterloo the natural destination for commuters from south-west London and Surrey. The Underground station has the Northern line's Charing Cross branch, the Bakerloo line, the Jubilee line and the Waterloo & City line to Bank. Waterloo East, next door, has Southeastern services from south-east London and Kent.

For south-west London renters, the rail connection matters more than distance. Wimbledon, Surbiton and Earlsfield can be closer in time than places nearer on a map, and journeys are generally less crowded than on the Northern line. The Jubilee line brings commuters from Stratford, Canada Water, Bermondsey, West Hampstead and Kilburn; the Bakerloo line serves Elephant and Castle, Maida Vale and Queen's Park; and the Northern line reaches Kennington, Clapham and Camden. Walking from Kennington, Elephant and Castle, Vauxhall or Borough is realistic, and many office workers walk from Waterloo to the West End or Westminster. The station concourse itself is vast, so allow time to reach the Underground or the exits on the far side, especially when trains from the suburbs arrive together at the height of the morning peak.