27 October 2025, 16:13

New mural at London Waterloo celebrates 200 years of railway romance

The new mural at London Waterloo station is a collection of photographs that encapsulate moments in time and show the connection between people and the railway
The artwork commemorates Railway 200, which marks the 200-year anniversary since the beginning of the modern railway
The artwork has been installed near Exit 3
Artist Patricio Forrester is the founder of Artmongers, who specialise in engaging with local community groups to transform shared spaces using art

SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail launched a new mural at London Waterloo on Friday (24 October) as a lasting commemoration for Railway 200 at Britain’s largest station.

'200 Years of Romance' was created by artist Patricio Forrester, the founder of Artmongers, who are known for their work composing public murals.

To create the mural, colleagues at SWR and Network Rail submitted images that they felt represented the best of the railway, while local rail community groups were also asked to contribute.

The unique contributions include:

A cake celebrating Brockenhurst station’s 178^th birthday this year
A fond farewell to the Island Line's 1938 London Underground trains, which were retired in 2021
Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Salisbury station during her Diamond Jubilee in 2012
A moment of pride from London Waterloo's 175th anniversary celebrations in 2023

Stuart Meek (above, middle), SWR's Chief Operating Officer, unveiled the mural alongside artist Patricio Forrester and Mike Lamport.

Mike (above, right) - a historian, member of the Railway 200 Steering Group, and former railwayman - can trace a family connection to London Waterloo as far back as the 1850s. Mike’s great grandfather, Matthew, worked as guard with the London & South Railway. The family connection continues as Mike’s son Andrew works as a guard at SWR today.

Patricio (above, left) took inspiration by travelling on the SWR network, visiting stations, including London Waterloo.

Artist and founder of Artmongers, Patricio Forrester, said:

The three aspects integral to the design of the mural were Monumental, Industrial, Perspective. The joining of two tracks, the vanishing point on the platform as the train passes through the station. London Waterloo is monumental and industrious just like a cathedral. This gave me the idea to showcase the photos as stained glass, the photos have been designed to look translucent to let the light through, much like stained glass.

The mural can be found near Exit 3 and is made up of approximately 40 images. Around 200 people were involved in compiling the collection, documenting special moments connected to rail, including those who work and volunteer on the railway, as well as local groups.

Speaking on behalf of South Western Railway and Network Rail, Paula Aldridge, Community Rail Manager at South Western Railway, said:

Waterloo’s new mural showcases so many special moments. It shows how important the railway is to people, but also how the railway’s 200-year history is all about people.

The artwork has given this part of the station a new lease of life and sits proudly in the busy heart of London, for all to see.

Contact Information

South Western Railway Press Office
press@swrailway.com

Notes to editors

More information on Artmongers is available on their website here

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South Western Railway

Operating over 1,500 services each weekday, SWR provides commuter, regional and long distance services to customers in South West London, the southern counties of England and the Isle of Wight.

As well as commuters and business travellers, SWR transports leisure travellers across the region, to many tourist and heritage sites, and the numerous major sporting and social events that take place along the route every year.

SWR provides easy and convenient mobility, improving quality of life by connecting people and communities.

About DFTO

DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027. Alongside Network Rail, it is one of the ‘twin engines’ of GBR and is enabling and driving forward crucial rail reform.

The group’s current train operating companies are: LNER, Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine Express, SWR, c2c and Greater Anglia. This means that half of the train operators (7 out of 14 train operating companies) that will form the backbone of passenger services under Great British Railways (GBR) are now in public ownership.

Together, the DFTO group employs more than 26,000 people; runs almost 8,000 daily services and manages more than 1,000 stations.

It delivers more than 550 million customer journeys across its networks every year, accounting for 33% of all UK passenger journeys.