Clapham Junction Station – Platform 0 – 11th May 2022
These pictures show the current progress at Clapham Junction, where platform 0 used to be.
Note.
- The rails have been painted and are now a brighter red colour.
- Two bug houses have been added alongside the planters.
I still can’t find anything on the Internet about this project.
Barriers And Planters On The London Overground Platforms At Clapham Junction Station
To get home from Feltham station, after my visit this morning to see the new bridge, which I wrote about in The Completed Bridge At Feltham Station, I changed trains at Clapham Junction station.
I noticed that a barrier has been put up between the current two Overground platforms; 1 and 2.
.I suspect it is for safety reasons, as it will certainly stop passengers falling off the platform.
I also noticed that planters had been placed where I suspect that the new Platform 0 will be built.
Note.
- If the track is to placed between the planters and the platform, the space could be a bit small.
- Or is the platform going to be rebuilt a bit narrower?
- It also looks like the platform won’t be long enough for the planned eight-car train.
I also took these pictures of what looks to be a Fire Exit.
Could it be a temporary entrance, that will be used if there is a lot of work going on about the Grant Road entrance to create the new platform?
I also took these pictures of the Eastern end of the platform.
Considering, that the Class 378 train is five cars and an eight-car train would be sixty percent longer, it looks to me, that they will have to extend the platform, behind the temporary entrance or perhaps further towards the East.
Or could Network Rail have called up Baldrick, and asked him for one of his cunning plans?
Consider.
- Currently, there is a one train per hour (tph) between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction stations, run by Southern.
- The service used to run between Milton Keynes and South Croydon stations.
- There surely is a need for a high-frequency service between the High Speed Two station at Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction station.
- Currently, there is no planned link between Crossrail and the West London Line.
Hythe Road station is planned to be on the West London Line and will serve the High Speed Two station at Old Oak Common.
This Transport for London map, shows the position of the proposed Hythe Road station with respect to High Speed Two and Crossrail.
Note.
- The West London Line to and from Clapham Junction goes down the East of the map.
- The North London Line to and from Richmond goes down the West of the map.
- The current Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service doesn’t go through the site of Hythe Road station, but somehow sneaks round on the freight line in the map.
Wikipedia describes the proposal for Hythe Road station like this.
Hythe Road railway station would be situated about 700 metres (770 yards) from the mainline Old Oak Common station. Construction work would involve re-aligning the track along a new railway embankment (built slightly to the north of the existing line) and demolishing industrial units along Salter Street, on land currently owned by a vehicle sales company (‘Car Giant’). The station structure will sit on a viaduct, with a bus interchange underneath. The station will incorporate 3 platforms, allowing through services between Stratford and Clapham Junction with an additional bay platform to accommodate terminating services from Clapham Junction.
I can envisage an eight tph service between Clapham Junction and Hythe Road stations, made up something like this.
- Four tph between Stratford and Clapham Junction stations
- One tph between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction stations
- Three tph between Hythe Road and Clapham Junction stations
Note.
- Services would stop at Shepherd’s Bush, Kensington (Olympia), West Brompton and Imperial Wharf.
- Two platforms at Clapham Junction station could easily handle eight tph.
- The London Overground’s five car Class 378 trains would probably be long enough for the shuttle.
- There is even the possibility of running the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service with five car trains, to void the expense of creating an eight-car platform at Clapham Junction station.
It would be better if the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service could go through Hythe Road station. But this might be difficult to arrange.
Conclusion
An eight tph service through Old Oak Common could be a nice little add-on for both High Speed Two and Crossrail.
Will Clapham Junction Station Get A Platform 0?
London has a rail capacity problem, for both freight and passenger trains.
This report from Network Rail is entitled The London Rail Freight Strategy (LRFS).
One of the recommendations of the report is to build a Platform 0 at Clapham Junction station. It says this about that that platform.
Creation of additional bay platform capacity at the northern end of Clapham Junction station, for the use
of London Overground WLL services.
This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout as the orange tentacles of the London Overground approach Clapham Junction station.
Note.
- The West London Line approaches Clapham Junction station through Imperial Wharf station.
- The South London Line approaches Clapham Junction station through Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road stations.
This second map from cartometro.com shows the track layout of the current two Overground platforms at Clapham Junction station and how the third one will fit in.
Note.
- It appears that there are crossovers to allow trains from either South or West London Lines to enter any of Platforms 0, 1 or 2.
- A typical bay platform can turn four trains per hour (tph) or possibly six tph, if the signalling is tip-top.
These pictures show the current state of Platform 0 at Clapham Junction station.
And these show Platforms 1 and 2 at Clapham Junction station.
The current two-platform system seems to work well.
Clapham Junction Station Is A Super-Interchange
Clapham Junction is already a super-interchange on the London Overground with lots of services to Central and Outer London and the wider South of England.
The London Overground probably needs more super-interchanges on its circular route around London.
- Whitechapel and Stratford, which are one stop apart on Crossrail, could develop into one in East London.
- As it grows, Old Oak Common, will develop into one in West London.
Other super-interchanges could develop at Croydon, Hackney (Central/Downs) and West Hampstead.
Network Rail’s Reasons For The New Platform
I’ll start with some information.
Current Overground Services
Current Overground services are as follows.
- 4 tph – Stratford via Willesden Junction
- 4 tph – Dalston Junction via Surrey Quays
The total of 8 tph, is generally easily handled by two platforms, unless something goes wrong.
Future Overground Services
It is expected that in the future services could be as follows.
- 6 tph – Stratford via Willesden Junction
- 6 tph – Dalston Junction via Surrey Quays
As I regularly use the service between Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction to get a connection to places like Portsmouth and Southampton, I know at least one regular traveller, who is looking forward to the increase in frequency.
But there could be another London Overground in the future.
In Gibb Report – East Croydon – Milton Keynes Route Should Be Transferred To London Overground, I wrote how in his report, Chris Gibb recommended that this hourly service should be transferred to the London Overground.
This is said in the Network Rail document about Platform 0 at Clapham Junction station.
The longstanding proposal for the creation of additional bay platform capacity at the northern end of Clapham Junction station, for the use of London Overground West London Line services, is supported by this strategy.
The scheme would reinstate the disused former platform 1 to create a newly designated ‘Platform 0’, adjacent to the present platforms 1 and 2.
This intervention has been recognised as key to long-term growth on the West London Line by several previous pieces of work for both Network Rail and Transport for London, which have consistently concluded that additional platform capacity at Clapham Junction is needed, if TfL’s aspiration to increase the WLL Overground service to 6 trains per hour is to be met.
Capacity analysis for the LRFS has reaffirmed that the desire to operate this level of service throughout the day cannot be achieved with a single bay platform.
Although this scheme would clearly be of direct benefit to the London Overground passenger service, the positive impact it would have on the capacity and performance of the WLL overall means that it is also very much in the interest of freight that Platform 0 be delivered. Without a new bay platform, the main alternative means to increase Overground train frequencies involves the use of platform 17 at the far end of the station, where freight and GTR trains pass through towards the BML. This is a sub-optimal solution for both freight and passenger operations.
Note.
- Platform 0 will share an island platform with Platforms 1 and 2, so there will be short level walks between trains.
- Platform 1 and 2 are already fully accessible, so Platform 0 will be as well.
The report feels that increasing passenger and freight services are often two sides of the same coin.
Questions
I have some questions.
Would Three Platforms Be Enough To Handle Twelve tph?
As two platforms seem to handle eight tph, at most times in the present, I suspect the answer is in the affirmative.
Would Three Platforms Be Enough To Handle Thirteen tph?
This would be needed, if the Milton Keynes service were to be transferred to the Overground and it used Clapham Junction station as a Southern terminus.
If it still went through Clapham Junction station to Croydon, then it would probably use Platform 17, as it tends to do now!
I do suspect that three platforms will be enough, as otherwise the LRFS would be proposing something else.
What Will Be The Length Of The New Platform 0?
Under Future Proposals in the Wikipedia entry for Clapham Junction station, this is said.
In a Network Rail study in 2015, it was proposed that platform 0 could reopen for 8-car operations of the West London Line.
An eight-car platform would allow the current eight-car Class 377 trains, that work the Milton Keynes service to use the platform.
Note that as an eight-car Class 377 train is 163.2 metres long, a platform that will accomodate this train, will be long enough to accomodate a five-car Class 378 train, which is only 102.5 metres long.
But should the platform be built long enough to handle two Class 378 trains working as a pair?
This Google Map shows Platform 1 and the current state of the future Platform 0 at Clapham Junction station.
Note.
- a five-car Class 378 train is standing in Platform 1.
- There are some minor obstructions along Platform 0.
I don’t think it would be impossible to create an eight-car Platform 0. Although, Platforms 0 and 1 might need to be extended by perhaps ten or twenty minutes towards London.
Does The Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction Service Need 110 mph Trains?
I have talked to several drivers, who drive trains on the four 125 mph lines out of London and some have complained about slower 100 mph trains, that get in their way and slow them down.
If the drivers get miffed, I suspect the train operating companies are more annoyed.
But over the last few years, the following has happened.
- Heathrow Express have replaced 100 Class 360 trains with 110 mph Class 387 trains on the Great Western Main Line.
- East Midlands Railway will be running 110 mph Class 360 trains to Corby on the Midland Main Line.
- West Midlands Trains will be replacing 110 mph Class 350 trains with 110 mph Class 730 trains on the West Coast Main Line.
- Great Northern run 110 mph Class 387 trains to Cambridge and Kings Lynn on the East Coast Main Line.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see 110 mph trains running between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction, as they would just be following a sensible practice to increase capacity.
Conclusion
I have no problems with creating a new Platform 0 at Clapham Junction, but suspect that faster trains would be needed for the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction, that would use it.
Work Appears To Have Already Started On Platform 0
With the installation of the all-important site hut and the fact that there were several engineers around with laser-measurement tools, I suspect that work is already underway to prepare everything for the construction of Platform 0 at Clapham Junction station.
Related Posts
These are related posts about the London Rail Freight Strategy (LRFS).
Decarbonisation Of London’s Freight Routes
East Coast Main Line South Bi-Directional Capability
Gauge Improvements Across London
Headway Reductions On The Gospel Oak To Barking, North London and West London Lines
Heavy Axle Weight Restrictions
Kensal Green Junction Improvement
Longhedge Junction Speed Increases
Moving The West London Line AC/DC Switchover To Kensington Olympia
Moving The West London Line AC/DC Switchover To Shepherd’s Bush
Stratford Regulating Point Extension
Will Camden Road Station Get A Third Platform?
Could Crossrail And Thameslink Serve Clapham Junction Station?
This may seem a silly question, but I believe it is a valid one for the following reasons.
Clapham Junction Is A Major Interchange
Wikipedia says this about Clapham Junction station.
Routes from London’s south and south-west termini, Victoria and Waterloo funnel through the station, making it the busiest in Europe by number of trains using it: between 100 and 180 per hour except for the five hours after midnight. The station is also the busiest UK station for interchanges between services.
It is also the tenth busiest station measured by passenger numbers in Great Britain.
Clapham Junction Is Step-Free
Clapham Junction station has both a bridge and a subway between the seventeen platforms.
The bridge is fully step-free with lifts to all platforms.
Clapham Junction Has A Wide Bridge
The bridge between platforms is not only step-free, but very wide.
rchitects have copied this Victorian design at Leeds and Reading stations.
Clapham Junction Is Often A Convenient Place to Change Trains
When I go to Portsmouth or Southampton, I will often avoid Waterloo, by using the Overground between Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction stations.
It may be slower, but it is a very easy interchange, especially if I go step-free on the wide bridge.
Perhaps this explains why interchange passengers at Clapham Junction, are almost as many as those entering or leaving the rail network.
With some journeys like say Southampton to Wembley Stadium, changing at Clapham Junction is probably the most convenient.
Clapham Junction Links To The Overground
This interchange, is something I use a lot, as I have four trains per hour (tph) on the London Overground, from my nearest station at Dalston Junction.
As there are thirty-one stations on London’s circular railway, the interchange probably generates a lot of traffic.
Clapham Junction Seems To Be Well-Organised
If you want to go to say Gatwick, then generally the same platform will be used.
All Trains To Gatwick Go From 13
This can’t be said for many stations.
The station even has lists of stations and the platform to use.
This would be impossible at most large stations!
But this is the busiest station in Europe by the number of trains using it!
The Victorians certainly got the design right!
Does this passenger-friendly design attract passengers?
Crossrail, Thameslink And Clapham Junction Station
Crossrail and Thameslink don’t call at Clapham Junction station.
But some services do directly link Crossrail and Thameslink to Clapham Junction station.
London Overground From Stratford To Clapham Junction Via Willesden Junction
This West London Line service has a frequency of four tph, which from some time this year will be raised to six tph or one train every ten minutes.
It will have the following interchanges in the future.
- Thameslink at West Hampstead
- Crossrail at Old Oak Common
It will also have interchanges with the Bakerloo, Central, District, Jubilee and Victoria Lines.
London Overground From Stratford To Clapham Junction Via Canada Water
This South London Line service has a frequency of four tph, which from some time this year will be raised to six tph.
It will have the following interchanges in the future.
- Thameslink at Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye
- Crossrail at Whitechapel
It will also have interchanges with the District, Docklands Light Railway, Hammersmith and City,Jubilee and Northern Lines.
Southern From East Croydon To Milton Keynes
This West London Line service has a frequency of one tph.
It will have the following interchanges in the future.
- Thameslink at East Croydon
- Crossrail at Old Oak Common
If Crossrail is extended along the West Coast Main Line, there will be additional interchange stations.
It will also have interchanges with the Bakerloo, Central, District and Northern Lines.
Southern From Clapham Junction To Brighton Main Line
There is a high-frequency service from Clapham Junction along the Brighton Main Line.
- 3 tph – Brighton
- 1 tph – Hastings
- 2 tph – Eastbourne
- 2 tph – Littlehampton
- 4 tph – Horsham
- 4 tph – Haywards Heath
- 4 tph – Three Bridges
- 6 tph – Gatwick Airport
- 12 tph – East Croydon
Most of these services terminate at Victoria.
The named stations, except for Hastings and Eastbourne, will also be served by Thameslink.
From the passenger point of view, those going to and from London from the Brighton Main Line and South Coast stations, have a choice of London terminus.
- Thameslink – London Bridge, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon, St. Pancras and Thameslink’s Northern stations.
- Southern – Clapham Junction and ictoria.
The two separate routes have Central London fully covered.
Deficiencies Of The Current System
Suppose you want to travel from the extremities of Crossrail and Thameslink to say somewhere like Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Exeter, Portsmouth or Southampton, that is served by Waterloo and Clapham Junction in Central London.
- From Brighton and other stations on the South of Thameslink, there is a high-frequency Southern service.
- From Luton and other stations on the North of Thameslink, you will probably use the Jubilee Line between London Bridge and Waterloo.
- From Shenfield and other stations on the East of Crossrail, you will probably use the Jubilee Line between Bond Street and Waterloo.
- From Heathrow, Reading and other stations on the West of Crossrail, you will probably use the Bakerloo Line between Paddington and Waterloo.
All the Underground interchanges will be fully step-free with lifts and lots of escalators, but the connections could be simpler.
The Arrival Of Old Oak Common Station
The building of the new mega-hub station at Old Oak Common will tie together the following lines.
- Crossrail
- HS2
- North London Line
- West Coast Main Line
- West London Line
There is also the possibility of the West London Orbital Railway linking Old Oak Common to Hendon and West Hampstead Thameslink.
Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction stations will be two mega-hub stations, that for obvious reasons will need a high-frequency connection service.
Currently, that is planned to be the following services.
- 6 tph – London Overground from Stratford to Clapham Junction.
- 1 tph – Southern from Milton Keynes to East Croydon.
It is not enough, especially, if either connection at Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction is a long walk.
But there are easy ways to increase the numbers of connections.
Improve The Southern Service
In his report, Chris Gibb recommended that this Milton Keynes to East Croydon route be transferred to the London Overground. I wrote about this in Gibb Report – East Croydon – Milton Keynes Route Should Be Transferred To London Overground.
In my view Chris Gibb is right for the following reasons.
- All passenger services on the West London Line would then be run by London Overground.
- London Overground have a reputation for running a good train service.
- The Milton Keynes to East Croydon service could be integrated with the Watford DC Line, the North London Line and a possible West London Orbital Railway to produce an integrated frequent local service in an area of West London, that needs a greatly improved train service.
- Frequency between Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction could be raised to as high as ten or twelve tph.
- It would improve connections between Watford and the expanding Wembley Stadium complex with South London.
I doubt it would be an expensive and difficult project to move this service between operators.
Build The West London Orbital Railway And Extend It To Clapham Junction
In this article on Ian Visits, this is said about the service on the proposed West London Orbital line.
Phase 1: 4 trains per hour from West Hampstead to Hounslow, calling at West Hampstead, Cricklewood, Neasden, Harlesden, OOC, Acton Central, South Acton, Brentford, Syon Lane, Isleworth, Hounslow.
Phase 2: additional 4 trains per hour from Hendon to Kew Bridge, calling at Hendon, Brent Cross/Staples Corner, Neasden, Harlesden, OOC, Acton Central, South Acton, Kew Bridge.
The track is all in place and with a new bay platform at Hounslow, trains running on batteries could work Phase 1 with ease. The batteries would be charged South of Acton Central station.
Because of the importance of Clapham Junction as an interchange,, would it be a sensible idea to extend Phase 2 from Kew Bridge to Clapham Junction, by way of Chiswick, Barnes Bridge, Barnes, Putney and Wandsworth Town stations?
This may not be possible, as the route may not be able to accept four extra trains.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the track layout around the two Overground platforms at Clapham Junction.
I also took these pictures of Platform 2.
I suspect that a bay platform could be added, opposite to Platform 2.
- There would appear to be plenty of space.
- The platform would share the lift, facilities and staff with Platforms 1 and 2.
- It would make a good interchange, with simple connections to Platforms 1 and 2.
There could even be the possibility of making Platform 2 bi-directional so that a loop service from Hendon to Dalston Junction could be created, if that was considered the best solution.
One advantage of extending the Phase 2 Kew Bridge route, would be that it would give more electrified running to charge a battery train.
Luton/Bedford to Clapham Junction
If this route from Hendon to Clapham Junction via Old Oak Common and Kew Bridge can be successfully created, it establishes the important link between the Luton/Bedford branch of Thameslink and Clapham Junction.
Cambridge/Peterborough to Clapham Junction
There is no direct route, but probably the fastest is to dive into the Victoria Line at Finsbury Park and go to Vauxhall, from where it’s a single stop to Clapham Junction.
Just avoid changing to the Victoria Line at St. Pancras, unless you like long walks.
Crossrail to Clapham Junction
Three factors will determine how good using a double change at Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction to get between Crossrail and Clapham Junction will be.
- The frequency of trains between Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction.
- The quality of the interchange at Old Oak Common. As it will also involve HS2, I suspect it should be good.
- The quality of the interchange at Clapham Junction. It probably needs improvement, but it’s not bad for something designed by the Victorians.
It could be a very good link.
Could Thameslink Serve Clapham Junction Directly?
From the Brighton Main Line, there is a frequent service, but going North to Thameslink is not easy.
It could be possible to use the West London Orbital Railway to get to and from Hendon, but whether anything other than a local route is needed is open to doubt.
Could Crossrail Serve Clapham Junction Directly?
This Google Map shows the Old Oak Common area.
The railway running across the map to the North is the West Coast Main Line, whilst the Great Western Main Line goes across the bottom.
Looking at the map in detail, it might be possible to thread flyovers or dive-unders into the area to allow Crossrail trains to take the West London Line to the North or South from the East or West.
Consider
- There are certainly some large industrial sites that could be cleared.
- There are a couple of cemetries too.
- There are Central, Chiltern, Crossrail, Great Western Main Line, HS2, North London Line, West Coast Main Lines to connect together.
- A Heathrow to Gatwick Link could be threaded through.
It all depends on how much can be spent!
And Then There’s The Heathrow Southern Railway!
This is a bit different, as it’s a privately-funded railway that aims to sneak into Heathrow by following and hiding by the M25 and the use of the odd tunnel.
This map is a schematic of the proposed railway, which is caused the Heathrow Southern Railway.
Note.
- The blue line is Crossrail.
- The yellow line is a direct link from Waterloo to Heathrow.
- The station in a six pointed star is Clapham Junction.
On the Heathrow Southern Railway web site there is a section called Service Opportunities.
It details two routes.
Heathrow – Staines – Clapham Junction – Waterloo
- Most track is existing.
- New track will run along the M25.
- Trains will be fully-integrated with South Western Railway.
- Four tph should be possible with planned capacity improvements.
- A bay platform will be added at Staines, within the current railway.
- Xrossrail could be extended from Terminal 5 to Staines.
Heathrow Southern Railway envisage that a lot of passengers from Staines will use Crossrail for London.
Basingstoke/Guildford – Woking – Heathrow – Paddington
The web site says this about the route.
An exciting additional benefit of Heathrow Southern Railway is the scope to introduce half-hourly services from Basingstoke and Guildford to Heathrow and Paddington. These trains would provide a 15-minute frequency from Woking, with stops at Farnborough Main (Basingstoke services), Woking, Terminal 5, Terminal 2 and 3 and Old Oak Common.
I like the ideas and the tone of the project.
Conclusion
With all the ideas in the West of London, I think that some very good things will happen to the railways in the area, whether Heathrow Airport builds another runway or not.
In
Could Another Overground Platform Be Squeezed In At Clapham Junction Station?
Clapham Junction station has two Overground platforms, 1 and 2, at the Northern side of the station.
This Google Map shows the platforms at the station.
Clapham Junction Platforms 1 and 2
Platforms 1 and 2 are continuous at the top, with one on the left. Note that Class 378 trains are in both platforms.
These pictures show Platforms 1 and 2 and the space behind.
I don’t know whether another platform could be fitted in, but I suspect, if London Overground needed another one, then with some reconstruction and movement of the various cabins and boxes, then one could be built.
The Anonymous Widower 