Wandsworth Common railway station
Encyclopedia
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
.
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.. 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, .
The station was resited by the LB&SCR to its present location, opening 1 November 1869 1863 as part of works to widen the line, and improve the route between East Croydon and Victoria.
Further remodelling of the line and was undertaken in 1890 to increase capacity.
The lines through the station to Crystal Palace were electrified in 1910, by means of the LB&SCR 'Elevated Electric' overhead system. Work on electrifing the remaining services through the station had begun in 1913 but was interrupted by the First World War and not completed until 1925. 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
electirication system and the lines through the station were converted between June 1928 and September 1929.
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.
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
in south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
, and it is in Travelcard Zone 3
Travelcard Zone 3
Fare zone 3 is a zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services...
.
History
West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway
The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway was an early railway company in south London between Crystal Palace station and Wandsworth, which was opened in 1856. The line was extended in 1858 to a station at Battersea Wharf which was misleadingly named Pimlico...
(WELCR) opened the first Wandsworth Common slightly to the north of the present station on 1 December 1856.. From the outset the line was worked by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
(LB&SCR), and then only ran from Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace railway station
Crystal Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge...
to Wandsworth Common
Wandsworth Common railway station
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:...
. There were plans to extend it to join with the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(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
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, and it was purchased by the LB&SCR in 1859, .
The station was resited by the LB&SCR to its present location, opening 1 November 1869 1863 as part of works to widen the line, and improve the route between East Croydon and Victoria.
Further remodelling of the line and was undertaken in 1890 to increase capacity.
The lines through the station to Crystal Palace were electrified in 1910, by means of the LB&SCR 'Elevated Electric' overhead system. Work on electrifing the remaining services through the station had begun in 1913 but was interrupted by the First World War and not completed until 1925. By this time the LB&SCR was absorbed into the Southern Railway following the 1921 Railways Act
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
.
In 1925 the Southern Railway decided to adopt a third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
electirication system and the lines through the station were converted between June 1928 and September 1929.
When sectorisation
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
was introduced in the 1980s, the national rail lines were served by Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast
Network SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
until the privatisation of the British Railways
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
.
Upon privatisation in the 1990s, the national rail lines came under the Connex South Central
Connex South Central
Connex South Central was a short-lived train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group, and operated under the Connex brand between October 1996 until mid-2001....
franchise, which was replaced by the current operator in 2000.
Services
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:- 10 to London Victoria
- 2 to London BridgeLondon Bridge stationLondon Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
via and - 2 to via and East CroydonEast Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
- 2 to West CroydonWest Croydon stationWest Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
via - 2 to Sutton via Norbury and West Croydon
- 1 to via Norbury, West Croydon and Sutton
- 1 to via Norbury, West Croydon and Sutton
- 1 to via and Wembley CentralWembley Central stationWembley Central is a Network Rail station served by London Underground Bakerloo Line, London Overground , Southern and a few London Midland services. It is located in the High Road of Wembley, northwest London...
- 1 to South CroydonSouth Croydon railway stationSouth Croydon railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 5. It is on the Brighton Line at its junction with the Oxted Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern.-History:...