Wandsworth Common railway station

Wandsworth Common National Rail
Wandsworth Common
Location of Wandsworth Common in Greater London
Location Wandsworth Common
Local authority Wandsworth
Managed by Southern
Station code WSW
DfT category D
Number of platforms 2 (2 others rarely used)
Fare zone 3
National Rail annual entry and exit
2004–05  0.821 million[1]
2005–06 Increase 0.822 million[1]
2006–07 Increase 1.377 million[1]
2007–08 Increase 1.492 million[1]
2008–09 Decrease 1.419 million[1]
2009–10 Increase 1.455 million[1]
2010–11 Increase 1.705 million[1]
2011–12 Increase 1.776 million[1]
2012–13 Decrease 1.707 million[1]
Key dates
1858 Opened
Other information
Lists of stations
External links
London Transport portal
UK Railways portalCoordinates: 51°26′47″N 0°09′49″W / 51.4464°N 0.1635°W

Wandsworth Common railway station is in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is in Travelcard Zone 3.

History

A 1912 Railway Clearing House map of lines around Wandsworth Common railway station

The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway (WELCR) opened the first Wandsworth Common slightly to the north of the present station on 1 December 1856.[2] From the outset the line was worked by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), and then only ran from Crystal Palace to Wandsworth Common. There were plans to extend it to join with the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) main line nearby, thereby providing access to London Waterloo railway station, but these were rejected by that railway. The (WELCR) therefore extended its line to Battersea Wharf, and it was purchased by the LB&SCR in 1859,.[3]

The station was resited by the LB&SCR to its present location, opening 1 November 1869 as part of works to widen the line, and improve the route between East Croydon and Victoria.[4] Further remodelling of the line was undertaken in 1890 to increase capacity.[5]

The lines through the station to Crystal Palace were electrified in 1910, by means of the LB&SCR 'Elevated Electric' overhead system. Work on electrifying the remaining services through the station had begun in 1913 but was interrupted by the First World War and not completed until 1925.[6] By this time the LB&SCR was absorbed into the Southern Railway following the 1921 Railways Act.

In 1925 the Southern Railway decided to adopt a third rail electrification system and the lines through the station were converted between June 1928 and September 1929.[7]

When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the national rail lines were served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of the British Railways.

Upon privatisation in the 1990s, the national rail lines came under the Connex South Central franchise, which was replaced by the current operator in 2000.

Services

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Clapham Junction   Southern
Brighton Main Line
  Balham
Southern
West London Route
Southern
Sutton & Mole Valley Line
Southern
Outer South London Line

Connections

London Buses route 319 and G1 serve the station.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Station usage estimates". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  2. Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of Southern Region. Wellingborough: Patrick stephens Ltd. p. 206. ISBN 1-85260-297-X.
  3. Turner, John Howard (1978). The London Brighton and South Coast Railway 2 Establishment and Growth. Batsford. pp. 53–9. ISBN 0-7134-1198-8.
  4. Turner, (1978) p.250.
  5. Turner, John Howard (1978). The London Brighton and South Coast Railway 3 Completion and Maturity. Batsford. p. 84. ISBN 0-7134-1389-1.
  6. Moodie, G.T. (1968). Southern Electric 1909-1968=Ian Allan. pp. 7, 23.
  7. Moodie, (1968) p.25.

External links

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