A £300,000 funding package from the Mayor of London's Great Outdoors programme has transformed the approach to the recommissioned Brighton Yard entrance to Clapham Junction station, which had been disused for more than half a century.

The restored entrance and improvements to its approach now means Clapham Junction, Britain's busiest station, has step-free access with much reduced congestion. The investment is part of a £14.5 million restoration scheme which has also seen access to the platforms and trains transformed with the installation of new lifts and the construction of a new ticket hall.

The transformation was unveiled today by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Bringing the Brighton Yard entrance back into use was made possible through funding from the Department of Transport through its Access for All programme, South West Trains, Wandsworth Council and Transport for London.

The Mayor's Great Outdoors contribution has renovated the entrance forecourt with a new taxi rank and a cycle rack with space for more than 70 bikes. Further changes to the area surrounding Clapham Junction station are planned in the coming years, with more than £3 million set aside by Transport for London for traffic improvements.  Working in partnership with Wandsworth Council, traffic flows throughout the area will be improved such as at Battersea Rise, where a diagonal crossing will be created at the junction with Northcote Road to create better access for pedestrians.

Clapham Junction will also be a key destination when phase two of the new South London Line is completed. Work on the link is underway that will eventually join the station to a wheel of Overground services around the capital. It will be a big improvement to rail services for south Londoners who will finally be able to take advantage of the fast and frequent Overground services that already link so much of the city.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:
“Clapham Junction is one of the busiest stations in the country, with thousands of commuters and travellers relying on it every day to get around this great city.

“The fantastic new entrance means it is more accessible, brighter and much easier to negotiate. With much-needed traffic improvements and new taxi ranks also installed outside the station, the whole area will now be a calmer place to travel through."

Richard Tracey, Wandsworth's Greater London Assembly Member says:
" As a commuter who travels through Clapham Junction daily at peak times, I welcome this much needed improvement. I hope it will go some way to ease the serious overcrowding. Many of us have campaigned for this for years. Now we need longer trains!"

Cllr Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, says:
“By giving people a new way into the station we will take the pressure of the main entrance by as much as 25 per cent and create more breathing space in the jam-packed subway tunnel.

May 20, 2011