"Clapham Junction" redirects here. For other uses, see Clapham Junction (disambiguation)

Clapham Junction
Location
Place	Battersea
Local authority	Wandsworth
Coordinates	51°27′53″N 0°10′14″W / 51.4646, -0.1705Coordinates: 51°27′53″N 0°10′14″W / 51.4646, -0.1705
Operations
Station code	CLJ
Managed by	South West Trains
Owned by	Network Rail
Platforms in use	16
Live departures and station information from National Rail
Annual Passenger Usage
2004/05 *	12. Battersea is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is an inner-city district located 2 The London Borough of Wandsworth (ˈlʌndən bʌɹə ɒv ˈwɒndz A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. South West Trains ( SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing Train services to the south-west of London chiefly Network Rail is a British "not for dividend" Company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited a company limited 550 million
2005/06 *	12. 426 million
Transport for London
Zone	2
History
Key dates	Opened 2 March 1863
Transport for London List of London stations: Underground | National Rail
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Clapham Junction from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Travelcard Zone 2 is the second most central zone of Transport for London 's six (approximately concentric zones system used for calculating co-ordinated inter-modal Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Transport for London ( TfL) is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the Transport system in Greater London in England. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of London Underground stations. Scope This list by their present names of Heavy rail passenger stations in the Greater London region excludes stations served only by the London Underground
UK Railways Portal

Railways around Clapham Junction
Legend London Waterloo Vauxhall London Victoria Grosvenor Bridge Chatham Main Line Queenstown Road (Battersea) Chatham Main Line Battersea Park Stewarts Lane TMD West London Line Clapham Junction To Wandsworth Town South Western Main Line and Brighton Main Line

Clapham Junction railway station is in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. For the various theories on whether Vauxhall station may have given its name to the Russian word for railway station vokzal (Вокзал see the article on London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. The Chatham Main Line is the British railway line that runs from London Victoria to Dover Priory or Ramsgate via the Medway Towns Queenstown Road ( Battersea) is a Railway station in South London, between Vauxhall and Clapham Junction. The Chatham Main Line is the British railway line that runs from London Victoria to Dover Priory or Ramsgate via the Medway Towns Battersea Park is a suburban railway station in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Stewarts Lane TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in London, England, and operated by EWS. The West London Line is a short railway linking Clapham Junction in the south to Willesden Junction in the north Wandsworth Town railway station is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, in south London, in Travelcard Zone 2. The South Western Main Line is a Railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast in the south of England. The Brighton Main Line is a major British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains Battersea is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is an inner-city district located 2 The London Borough of Wandsworth (ˈlʌndən bʌɹə ɒv ˈwɒndz It is located at St John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea, in an area now commonly known as Clapham Junction; a reflection of the influence the station has upon its locality. Several suburban lines funnel through Clapham Junction en route to two of London's three busiest termini, Waterloo and Victoria. London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. By throughput Clapham Junction is claimed to be the busiest railway station in Britain, and even in Europe, though it is far less highly ranked by the standard measure of journeys originated at the station, as most passengers pass straight through. It is the busiest station in the UK by the number of interchanges.

The station

Services

All services to Waterloo, and many services to Victoria and the Croydon stations pass through the junction; these include South West Trains, Gatwick Express and Southern services. London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 9 South West Trains ( SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing Train services to the south-west of London chiefly Service The service is non-stop and runs every 15 minutes with an average journey time of 30 minutes Southern is a train operating company in England, running to south London, Surrey, and Sussex from Victoria and London Services from Clapham Junction also head north along the West London Line, through West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia), on to Willesden Junction (London Overground services) and Watford Junction (Southern services). The West London Line is a short railway linking Clapham Junction in the south to Willesden Junction in the north West Brompton is a Network Rail West London Line (WLL and London Underground District Line station in west London. Kensington Olympia station is a National Rail and London Underground station in West London. Willesden Junction station is a Network Rail station in Harlesden, north-west London; it is served by both London Overground and London London Overground (LO is a Commuter rail service in London UK. Watford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Services from Brighton to Manchester pass through on a scarce appearance heading up past Kensington (Olympia) (CrossCountry). CrossCountry is a Train operating company, the brand name of XC Trains Limited owned by Arriva, that has operated Great Britain ’s Cross Country rail franchise

The typical off-peak (1300hrs) service from the station is: (tph = trains per hour)

• 35 tph to London Waterloo
  
• 22 tph to London Victoria
  

• 1 tph to Alton
• 1 tph to Basingstoke
• 1 tph to Bognor Regis (via Horsham)
• 2 tph to Brighton
• 2 tph to Caterham (via Norbury)
• 2 tph to Chessington South
• 1 tph to Dorking (via Sutton & Epsom)
• 2 tph to Dorking (via Wimbledon)
• 2 tph to East Grinstead
• 1 tph to Epsom Downs (via Norbury)
• 2 tph to Epsom (via Hackbridge)
• 1 tph to Epsom (via Norbury)
• 2 tph to Guildford (via Cobham)
• 2 tph to Guildford (via Epsom)
• 2 tph to Hampton Court
• 1 tph to Haslemere
• 1 tph to Horsham (via Sutton & Epsom)
• 2 tph to Littlehampton (via Hove & Worthing)
• 2 tph to London Bridge (via Crystal Palace)
• 2 tph to London Waterloo (via Hounslow & Richmond)
• 2 tph to London Waterloo (via Kingston & Richmond)
• 2 tph to London Waterloo (via Richmond & Hounslow)
• 2 tph to London Waterloo (via Richmond & Kingston)
• 1 tph to Ore
• 1 tph to Poole
• 1 tph to Portsmouth Harbour
• 1 tph to Portsmouth Harbour (via Horsham)
• 2 tph to Reading
• 2 tph to Shepperton
• 2 tph to Sutton (via Norbury)
• 1 tph to Watford Junction
• 2 tph to West Croydon (via Crystal Palace)
• 2 tph to Weybridge (via Hounslow & Staines)
• 1 tph to Weymouth
• 2 tph to Willesden Junction
• 2 tph to Windsor & Eton Riverside
• 2 tph to Woking
• 1 tph to Yeovil Junction
• 1 tph to Southampton Central (via Horsham)
  

• 119 tph in total (about 7. 5 per platform). If each train spends under three minutes in a platform, each platform will be occupied for less than half of any given hour, meaning that the station is not quite at capacity.

Facilities

The railway junction at Clapham Junction, facing east

Details of roof support columns at Clapham Junction

Electronic Information board on a Clapham Junction platform

Clapham Junction platforms 2 to 10 at night

The subway at Clapham Junction at night

Arding & Hobbs Department Store, now sold to Debenhams, with its landmark cupola

The station has 16 active platforms, numbered 2 to 17, and arranged in two groups. Platform 1, the northernmost platform, is no longer used, having no rails; portable buildings have been sited at the north-east end, and a portable building and power or signalling equipment housings at the south-west end. If the planned East London Line extension gets to Clapham Junction, it is possible that platform 1 would be used for the purpose. The East London Line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. Platform 2, for the West London Line, and 3 to 6, for the Windsor lines, form a northern group oriented in a west-south-westerly direction, whilst platforms 7 to 17, on the South-Western and Brighton main lines, form a southern group oriented in a south-westerly direction and are separated from the northern group by a fan of a dozen or more sidings running into railway sheds to the west of the station.

The main entrance is from St. John's Hill, into a subway some 15 ft (4. 6 m) wide running transversely beneath the eastern end of the 17 platforms, and on to a northern exit, which has restricted opening hours. The subway becomes very crowded during the morning and evening rush hours: ticket barriers at the end are a particular pinch point. Rush hour at Shinjuku 02JPG|thumb|right|250px|Rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Yamanote Line]] A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which

A covered footbridge connects the platforms at their western end. In contrast with the width of the subway, parts of the footbridge are vast, but unfortunately the footbridge does not provide entry to or exit from the station. Network Rail announced in 2007 a package of improvements to access at Clapham Junction, including re-opening the Brighton Yard entrance on St Johns Hill and installing lifts to the platforms; the scheme is due for completion in 2009. Network Rail is a British "not for dividend" Company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited a company limited ^[1]

The station has limited pay-for-use toilet facilities; drinks and confectionery kiosks in the underpass, the overpass, and on some platforms; and a small shopping centre forming the St. John's Hill entrance.

Technology

In the recent past, in part because of the large number of platforms and trains, the station was confusing for those unfamiliar with it, who often found it difficult to establish from which platform a particular train would run. In 2003 a reasonably extensive system of electronic train information displays was installed at the entrance, in the subway and on platforms. In May 2004, the ticket machines were moved and reduced in number from six to four, only two of which take credit cards, and all of which are prone to frequent breakdown - this prompted a significant number of complaints from customers, leading to reinstallation of the two removed machines in winter 2004. A ticket machine is a Vending machine that produces tickets For instance ticket machines dispense Train tickets at railway stations and There are seven staffed ticket kiosk windows, but purchasing tickets in the morning rush hour, and from time to time through the day, tends to involve a lengthy delay. In March 2005, work began to alter the layout of the travel centre and to install a set of eight new ticket machines; these were installed in April 2006. Only two of these machines accept cash payments; the excessive queueing times for these has also provoked complaints.

Busiest station claims

Clapham Junction has claimed to being the busiest railway station in the United Kingdom, and on 17 June 2005 changed its signage and claim, to be the busiest in Europe. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Some 2,000 trains pass though it each day, the majority of which stop. Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest railway station in terms of passenger numbers, and sees far more trains than Clapham Junction. is a Train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū.

The junction

The station is named Clapham Junction because it forms the junction of a number of major rail lines. The name is not shared by any actual rail junction in the locality of the station. The names of the nearby rail junctions are:

• Falcon Jn (at the south end of the station, where the West London Line (WLL) joins the Brighton Slow Lines)
• Ludgate GW Jn (at the eastern end of the Windsor Line platforms with the WLL and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway)
• Latchmere Jns (where the three curves join the WLL)
• West London Jn (the junction where Eurostar empty stock leaves the Windsor Lines at to get onto the WLL)
• Pouparts Jn (where the low level and high level approaches to Victoria split)

History

Prior to the railway age,the area was rural and specialised in the growing of lavender used in the production of perfume; the hill to the east of the station is called Lavender Hill. The Lavenders Lavandula are a Genus of about 25–30 species of Flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean Perfume is a mixture of fragrant Essential oils and Aroma compounds Fixatives and Solvents used to give the human body animals objects and living Lavender Hill is a hill near Clapham Junction in South London, England. The coach road from London to Guildford passed slightly to the south of the location of the station, passing a public house called The Falcon at a crossroads in the valley between St. In British English and Australian English, the term coach is used to refer to a large motor vehicle for conveying passengers Guildford ( IPA /ˈgɪlfəd/ is the County town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the A crossroads (the word rarely appears in singular is a Road junction, where two or more Roads meet (there are three or more arms In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is John's and Lavender Hill.

The 19th century saw the rapid development of the railway system. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The first railway through the area was the London and Southampton Railway, opened in 1838. That railway terminated at Nine Elms, near Vauxhall, about 2 km (1 mile) to the north east of the Clapham Junction site, and made no provision for a station at the site of the (by now renamed) Falcon pub. Nine Elms is a district of London, situated in the far north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Wandsworth between Battersea and Vauxhall Vauxhall is an inner city area of South London in the London Borough of Lambeth.

A second railway line, from Nine Elms to Richmond, opened in 1846, a third serving Vauxhall in 1848, and a fourth in 1860. Railways running through the area now served the centre of London, at Victoria and Waterloo; the affluent west of London - places like West Brompton and Earls Court; Watford Junction and connections north; Croydon, Crystal Palace and other parts of South London; Guildford, Richmond and places west; Southampton and places south-west; and Brighton and places south. London Victoria is a major London Underground, National Rail and Coach station in the City of Westminster. West Brompton is a Network Rail West London Line (WLL and London Underground District Line station in west London. Earls Court, a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Watford Junction station is a railway station in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Croydon is a large town and major commercial centre in South London, and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. Crystal Palace is a residential area in South London, England named from the erstwhile local landmark The Crystal Palace, which occupied the South London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes Guildford ( IPA /ˈgɪlfəd/ is the County town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the Richmond is a town and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. This being the case, the London and South Western Railway determined to build an interchange station, choosing the Falcon crossroads and the point at which the Windsor lines and South-western main line separated from the Brighton line. The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR was a Railway company in England from 1838 to 1922 Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove.

The station was opened in 1863 as a joint venture of the London & South Western Railway, whose trains served the northern platforms, and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, whose trains served the southern platforms. The London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR (commonly known as "the Brighton line" was a Railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1923 Additional station buildings were erected in 1874 and 1876.

At the time of the construction of the station, Battersea was mostly associated with industry and poor working people. Clapham, a mile to the east of the site, was a longer-established and entirely more fashionable village and so the railway companies, which sought to attract a middle and upper class clientele, decided to adopt the grander of the two names. Clapham is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth.

The station precipitated the development of the area around it, with the population rising from 6,000 people in 1840 to 168,000 by 1910. In 1885 Arding and Hobbs Department Store was built, and after a 1909 fire was rebuilt to include the landmark cupola. In Architecture, a cupola or lantern is a radially symmetrical ornamental structure (often dome-shaped or quadrilateral located on top of a larger Refurbishment rebranded the store with the parent company Allders name, but some of the original Arding and Hobbs signs were retained. Allders is an independent Department store in Croydon, Surrey, England. Allders went into liquidation at the start of 2005 and Arding and Hobbs is now part of the Debenhams chain. Debenhams plc ( is a British -based retailer operating under a Department Store format in the UK and franchise stores in other countries The cupola is illuminated at night.

On 11 November 1974 the owner of the "Pram Shop" at the station was found stabbed to death. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The crime remains unsolved.

In 2005, Wandsworth Council deputy Labour group leader, Councillor Tony Belton, suggested that the station be renamed 'Battersea Junction', as the station is actually in Battersea, and quite a distance from Clapham[1]. The London Borough of Wandsworth (ˈlʌndən bʌɹə ɒv ˈwɒndz

Clapham rail disaster

Main article: Clapham Junction rail crash

Clapham Junction — in fact, a point just slightly south-west of the station — was the scene of a railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains on the morning of 12 December 1988. The Clapham Junction rail crash was a serious railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains at 0810 on the morning of 12 December Commuter rail, regional rail or suburban rail is a Passenger rail transport service between a city center and outer suburbs and Commuter towns Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Thirty-five people died and more than 100 were injured. The accident was caused by a signal relay wiring fault as a result of poor workmanship. A signal was displaying an incorrect aspect. A driver noticed this error and stopped his train to report it, and the train behind ran through the faulty signal and collided with the rear of the stationary train. A third empty train then collided with the wreckage.

Future

In the 2007 safeguarding of the Chelsea-Hackney line, Clapham Junction is a possibility as the line is safeguarded to travel from Chelsea to Clapham Junction on a branch. The Chelsea-Hackney (or "Chelney" line is a safeguarded route for an Underground railway running from south-west London to north-east London Chelsea tube station is a proposed station on the Chelsea-Hackney line also known as Crossrail 2. The reason for this is for the bid to end the station's isolation from the London Underground network.

References

1. ^ Route Plans 2007 - Route 3 - South West Mainline published by Network Rail, 2007. See page 20.

External links

• Mirror of the Unofficial CJ Guide (original site seems to have been removed)
• Short History of Clapham Junction prepared by Wandsworth Council, and from which much of the information in the history section of this entry is sourced. The London Borough of Wandsworth (ˈlʌndən bʌɹə ɒv ˈwɒndz
• BBC News report on the 1988 train collisions

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
London Waterloo		South West Trains South Western Main Line West of England Main Line		Woking
		South West Trains Waterloo to Basingstoke Alton Line		Surbiton
Vauxhall		South West Trains Waterloo to Woking Mole Valley Line Kingston Loop via Wimbledon Shepperton Branch Hampton Court Branch New Guildford Line		Earlsfield
London Waterloo		South West Trains Waterloo to Reading		Richmond
Vauxhall		South West Trains Waterloo to Windsor		Putney
Queenstown Road (Battersea)		South West Trains Kingston Loop via Richmond Hounslow Loop Reading and Windsor Lines		Wandsworth Town
London Victoria		Southern Brighton Main Line		East Croydon
Battersea Park		Southern South London Line (Outer)		Wandsworth Common
West Brompton		Southern West London Line
London Overground
West Brompton towards Willesden Junction		West London Line		Terminus