A vibrant community Its many independent specialist shops, restaurants and bars have helped to make it one of the most popular residential districts in London. The council, working with the Clapham Junction Town Centre Partnership, has attracted £10m of private sector investment to the area and has committed more than £1m of its own funds to improving the streetscape. There is a new town centre website www.clapham-junction.com which keeps people in touch on a daily basis with local news while the SW11 Literary Festival is just one of a series of imaginative events which bring added life to a bustling community. The aim is to improve the travelling experience for local commuters with increased investment in new lines and better facilities for all public transport users. The key to success will be the ability of the transport authorities to enhance and develop the station's strategic role at the heart of a revitalised south London rail network.
Britain's busiest station These services are operated by three differentcompanies - South West Trains, Southern Railwayand Silverlink Metro. There are easy links toVictoria and Waterloo and local suburbanconnections to south and south-west London. Services to the rest of southern England are excellent - reaching places as far afield as Hastings in the south east and Plymouth in the south west. Other cross-town links put parts of north west London in reach with links via Watford Junction to the Midlands and beyond. Locally the station is served by 17 bus routes which bring 4,000 buses through the town centre every day.
A ten point plan for investment
The council is campaigning for an early start on the second phase, which includes a link to Clapham Junction. This would allow cross-London journeys without the costs and delays involved in passing through central London. This later phase would also provide direct services to north London including Highbury and Islington. By linking the West London Line to the North London Line it creates an orbital rail service in Inner London (Orbirail). The extension to Crystal Palace and West Croydon is going ahead to open in 2010. The Mayor has recently announced a further extension northwards to Highbury & Islington, but he has still to find the money for the Clapham Junction extension which means it is highly unlikely to be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics. November 2006. 2. Connect Clapham Junction to the Underground - by bringing forward the long delayed Crossrail project with direct links to the West End and Kings Cross/St Pancras. Two routes through Chelsea and Battersea have been identified for the line. Either option would provide direct links to the Underground network and relieve congestion onlines into Victoria and Waterloo. There would also be a direct service to the planned Channel Tunnel rail terminus at St Pancras. The Battersea option could have a new stop in north Battersea. Crossrail would run through central London from Heathrow to Stratford. It is currently the subject of a Parliamentary Bill. The earliest work could start is 2007. The council now wants to see a firm timetable established for Crossrail. The Crossrail 1 Bill is still being considered by Parliament. Its earliest implementation date is 2015. For up to date information visit www.crossrail.co.uk Crossrail 2 still has no firm timetable despite continued pressure from Wandsworth and other councils. November 2006 3. Improve services on the West London Line. The council wants to see at least four trains an hour on this line instead of the current three. Two new stations will open this year at Imperial Wharf (Chelsea) and Shepherds Bush. This will increase demand further. This line should form part of a cross-country connection from Brighton and Gatwick in the south to Rugby in the Midlands. Sadly the Strategic Rail Authority wants to truncate the line so that it runs only from Clapham Junction to either Watford Junction or Willesden Junction. The council believes this is a short-sighted measure which will force people to change trains twice. It could result in unnecessary rail journeys into central London and extra traffic on the roads. The new Shepherds Bush station is expected to open in April 2007. There is no date yet for Chelsea Harbour. More through trains to Stratford are now running at peak times and Transport for London is taking over the current Silverlink schedule and plans to increase frequency to four trains an hour. It is also planned to introduce a second Southern train each hour as far as Shepherds Bush. November 2006. 4. Provide direct rail services to Heathrow The council is part of a consortium which is promoting the Airtrack project. This would provide a direct service to Heathrow Terminal Five. It is excellent value for money and only requires four kilometres of new track. The project needs the support of the Government and Transport for London if it is to go ahead. A requirement for a direct Heathrow link was included in the Department for Transport (DfT) specification for the new South West Trains franchise. This did not however form part of the accepted bid. There is general support for the scheme however and the council and other authorities will continue to press for action. November 2006. 5. Provide direct rail services to Gatwick. The DfT has reopened consultation on its Brighton main line proposals. The council is continuing to lobby for all trains to stop at Clapham Junction. November 2006. 6. Introduce more Metro-style 'turn up and go' services on local lines. In response to the SRA's review of the Brighton main line, Transport for London will be preparing proposals for improved local services. These would benefit people travelling up from Balham and Wandsworth Common. At the same time Transport for London plans to simplify fare structures and introduce Oyster card ticketing more widely at stations elsewhere in London. Stagecoach has retained the South West Trains franchise which will run for 10 years from February 2007. The company is promising extra capacity on its trains although this will be offset by rising demand. The council's campaign for Oyster pre-pay to be accepted on local rail services has been successful and should take effect from January 2009. November 2006.
This increases congestion on other services and forces passengers to make unnecessary journeys into central London. The council has been consulted on route utilisation strategies for all lines through Clapham Junction. It continues to make the case for all trains to stop here. November 2006. 8. Create an additional station entrance on St John's Hill to ease overcrowding. The DfT has now confirmed plans to install lifts from the overbridge to the platforms. The council will insist that this includes a new entrance at Brighton Yard. November 2006 9. Improve the station environment. Facilities at all local stations should be reviewed, including drop off points for cars, taxi/minicab ranks, shelters, cycle parking and clear signage for bus services. The new South West Trains franchisee holder promises £40m of station improvements including better lighting, booking halls and waiting rooms. The council is trying to establish which local stations will benefit. Commuters will see extra staff at stations and guards and CCTV on every train. November 2006. 10. Improve the reliability of local bus services. The council has submitted a £3m bid to TfL for improvements to the town centre environment. This is based on the 'putting the pedestrian first' strategy. New bus proposals plans for extending routes so that fewer buses stand at Clapham Junction. Frequencies on route 239 and 344 will increase and route 44 will operate to Victoria. November 2006. Many of these are low cost improvements which can boost reliability and enhance public perception of buses.
Download
The East London Line Group is campaigning for a second phase extension to the line include Clapham Junction. Download the group's campaign document.
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Connecting Clapham Junction
1. Connect Clapham Junction to the Underground by linking the planned East London Line extension to the station.
