Clapham Junction railway station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Clapham Junction

South West (Brighton Yard) entrance
Location	Battersea
Local authority	London Borough of Wandsworth
Managed by	Network Rail
Station code	CLJ
DfT category	B
Number of platforms	17
Accessible	Yes
Fare zone	2
Cycle parking	Yes – external
Toilet facilities	Yes – behind gateline
Key dates
2 March 1863	Opened
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
Other websites	Departures Layout Facilities Buses

Details of roof support columns at Clapham Junction

Clapham Junction railway station is a train station in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is on St. John's Hill in the south west of Battersea.

The station

The services

The railway junction at Clapham Junction, facing east

All services to Waterloo and many services to Victoria and Croydon stations pass through the junction; these include South West Trains, Gatwick Express and Southern services. Services from Clapham Junction also head north along the West London line, through West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia), on to Willesden Junction and Watford Junction - services (to Willesden Junction) are operated by London Overground.

Typical off-peak service of about 110 trains (one train every 30 seconds) is:

• 27 London Waterloo
• 22 London Victoria
• 1 Alton
• 1 stopping to Basingstoke
• 2 Brighton
• 2 Caterham
• 2 Chessington South
• 1 Dorking (via Sutton)
• 2 Dorking (via Wimbledon)
• 1 East Croydon (via Norbury)
• 2 East Grinstead
• 1 Epsom Downs
• 2 Epsom (via Hackbridge)
• 1 Epsom (via Norbury)
• 2 Guildford (via Cobham)
• 2 Guildford (via Epsom)
• 2 Hampton Court
• 1 Haslemere
• 1 Horsham
• 1 Littlehampton and Eastbourne (divides at Haywards Heath)
• 2 London Bridge
• 2 London Waterloo (via Brentford, Hounslow and Richmond)
• 2 London Waterloo (via Richmond, Hounslow and Brentford)
• 2 London Waterloo (via Wimbledon, Kingston and Richmond)
• 2 London Waterloo (via Richmond, Kingston and Wimbledon)
• 1 Milton Keynes Central (via Kensington)
• 1 Ore and Littlehampton (divides at Haywards Heath and Eastbourne)
• 1 Poole
• 1 Portsmouth Harbour (via Haslemere)
• 1 Portsmouth Harbour and Bognor Regis (divides at Horsham)
• 2 Reading
• 2 Shepperton
• 1 Southampton Central and Bognor Regis (divides at Horsham)
• 2 Sutton (via Norbury)
• 2 West Croydon (via Crystal Palace)
• 2 Weybridge (via Brentford, Hounslow and Staines)
• 1 Weymouth
• 2 Willesden Junction
• 2 Windsor & Eton Riverside
• 2 stopping to Woking
• 1 Yeovil Junction (some continue to Exeter and beyond)

The station footbridge

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		Terminus
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
West Brompton		Southern West London line		Wandsworth Common
Battersea Park		Southern South London Line (Outer) or London Victoria to East Croydon		Wandsworth Common
London Overground
West Brompton towards Willesden Junction		West London Line		Terminus

The facilities

The station has 16 platforms, numbered 2 to 17, and arranged in two groups. Platform 1, the northernmost platform, is no longer used. It does not have any rails. If the planned East London Line extension gets to Clapham Junction, the platform may be used again. The station's main entrance is from St. John's Hill, into a foot tunnel which is 15 ft (4.6 m) wide. It runs under the eastern end of the 17 platforms, and to a northern exit, which has restricted opening hours. The foot tunnel becomes very crowded during the morning and evening rush hours, and ticket barriers at the end of the tunnel are a particular pinch point.

A covered footbridge connects the platforms at their western end. The footbridge does not have an exit to or from the station.

The Junction

The station is named Clapham Junction because it is close to the joining point of a number of major rail lines—although the name is not shared by any junction near the station. The names of the nearby rail junctions are:

• Falcon Jn
• Ludgate GW Jn
• Latchmere Jns
• West London Jn
• Pouparts Jn

Images for kids

• 

  A British Rail Class 73 with track workers maintaining the railway in 1986 under British Rail.

• 

  A 1912 Railway Clearing House map of lines around Clapham Junction.

• 

  The subway at Clapham Junction during the night.

• 

  Clapham Junction in 2001.

See also

In Spanish: Estación de Clapham Junction para niños