Transport for LondonPhase 2 Clapham extension
A snapshot of south London train services in 2012
Four trains an hour will run on this section. From Surrey Quays you will be able to continue south to West Croydon and Crystal Palace, or north to Highbury & Islington.
South London train services
The line will open up more routes to and from south London and is part of wider rail changes in the area. This includes the closure of the South London Line services between London Bridge and Victoria.
See a map of south London train services in 2010 (PDF 53KB)
See a map of south London train services in 2012 (PDF 48KB)
See a map of south London train services in 2015 (PDF 41KB)
Changes to south London train services
By 2012
- East London line extension to Clapham Junction finished
- London Overground orbital network completed, providing train services round London
- Southern's South London Line between London Bridge and Victoria closed
- Longer trains to and from London Bridge and Victoria
By 2016
- Increased Thameslink services through south east and central London
South London Line
By 2012 there will actually be more train services in south london. However, we recognise that some people may need to change their journeys because of the South London Line closure. So we're working with London TravelWatch to see if there are any ways of mitigating this. Find out more about the study.
Your questions answered
- Why is TfL cutting the South London line?
- Why aren't all the London Bridge platforms being lengthened to keep the South London line running?
- Why isn't the Victoria-Bellingham service going ahead?
- Why didn't you tell people in South London that that Victoria-Bellingham service isn't going ahead?
Why is TfL cutting the South London Line?
We did not take the decision to withdraw the service. The DfT is responsible for National Rail services into London Victoria and London Bridge, not the Mayor or TfL.
London Bridge station is being rebuilt so more Thameslink trains can run through it. While this means more trains overall there will be less room for other services that terminate there so some have to be cut.
Network Rail recommended withdrawing the South London Line as it's one of the most lightly used services terminating at London Bridge.
Why aren't all the London Bridge platforms being lengthened to keep the South London line running?
Four of the six terminating platforms at London Bridge are being lengthened so that longer trains can stop at them. Even if the remaining two were lengthened, the number of trains that can run into the station remains constrained by the track layout. Changing the tracks would also be very difficult as the approach to London Bridge and the station is on a viaduct.
Why isn't the Victoria-Bellingham service going ahead?
When Network Rail recommended withdrawing the South London Line they came up with other options to reduce the impact on passengers. These included East London Line Phase 2 and the Victoria-Bellingham service.
We could only get funding for one service and we decided that the East London Line Phase 2 provides more benefits including:
- Access to significantly more jobs (125,200 more jobs within 60 minutes of Peckham Rye station, 36,600 for Victoria-Bellingham)
- Carries more passengers (12.3m for East London Line Phase 2, 5.2m for Victoria-Bellingham)
- Better journey opportunities as the line links up with services to other parts of London
- Doubles the number of trains on the line, from two to four per hour
Why didn't you tell people in south London that the Victoria-Bellingham service isn't going ahead?
Network Rail and other train operators are working to create a timetable that best meets the needs of railway users in this part of south London.
Until the timetable's finished it's too early to announce the implications of this service not going ahead.
Study on South London Line options
We're working with London TravelWatch to see if we can reduce the impact of the South London Line closure.
We produced a long list of options to reduce the impact of closing the South London Line. See the full list and how we'll assess them (PDF 40KB).
We're now working on a short list as we've received feedback from local MPs, assembly members and local authorities.
Once we've got a short list we'll work with Network Rail and the DfT to see if any of the options are possible to run. This includes whether they're value for money and affordable. We hope to finish by the end of 2009.
As all our funding is already committed the study will also look at how the options can be delivered.
