South London Overground Orbital Rail Link Opens
Connecting Clapham Junction with the Docklands
The new cross London rail service which connects Clapham Junction with Surrey Quays in the Docklands is now up and running..
The new London Overground route, which went fully operational on Sunday, should help ease congestion on existing lines and deliver a significant boost to Wandsworth's business community.
It will stop en route at Wandsworth Road, Clapham High Street , Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye and Queens Road Peckham.
Trains from Clapham Junction will continue direct to stations in north and east London including Shoreditch High Street, Hoxton, Highbury and Islington and Dalston Junction.
The new route connects two existing sections of the London Overground service - completing a new orbital rail network encircling the city centre.
The new service is designed to help to take some of the pressure off packed rail services from Clapham Junction into Waterloo and Victoria, and will mean local commuters can reach new parts of south east and north London without having to change trains.
Leader of Wandsworth Council Ravi Govindia said: "It's taken years of concerted pressure and persuasion to secure this crucial link in our transport network. Wandsworth residents will finally be able reach south east London direct, as well as stations in the north and east of the capital.
"The new services will improve Clapham Junction's effectiveness as a transport hub and allow thousands of commuters to make cross London journeys without switching between trains at Zone 1 termini or paying Zone 1 fares.
"The new connection will help bring new jobs to Battersea and underpin the regeneration of Clapham Junction town centre.
"Our next job is to secure major new investment in Clapham Junction station and to bring tube services to this vital interchange. The station which has been overlooked for far too long."
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "This fantastic new orbital railway will provide Londoners with the ability to zip around the edge of the city quickly and easily, without the need to travel in and out of the centre."
Wandsworth MP Jane Ellison, who today joined the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, at the official launch of the new London Overground service between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays said: “The completion of the new line is great news for local residents".
“Having taken a test run on the new line earlier this year, I know what a boon this service will be for my constituents. The trains are comfy, fast, and frequent, and the new line will make it much easier to get around London, especially to the East and City.”
"I was at Clapham Junction in 2008 when the Mayor announced his plan to extend the Overground orbital route, and it was great to join him, four years on, to see passengers using the new route."
Four trains an hour will operate on the new link. Transport for London (TfL) estimates more than 12m passengers will use the new route each year, which will significantly improve cross London journey times.
The journey between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays will take just 24 minutes, while the connection to Canada Water and its interchange with the Jubilee line will take 28 minutes.
London Overground is one of the most popular and punctual rail services in the UK with passenger satisfaction levels of 90 per cent, 8 per cent higher than any other rail service in the south east of England .
For more information about Wandsworth's transport development plans visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/travelchoices
December 11, 2012