When the new Overground extension opens, many stations on the existing South London line will lose their direct services to London. Like so.
Number of trains per hour(eastbound)
this week
next week
South Bermondsey
6 → London Br
4 → London Br
Queens Rd Peckham
6 → London Br
4 → London Br, 4 → Canada W
Peckham Rye
6 → London Br
4 → London Br, 4 → Canada W
Denmark Hill
2 → London Br
0 → London Br, 4 → Canada W
Clapham High Street
2 → London Br
0 → London Br, 4 → Canada W
Wandsworth Road
2 → London Br
0 → London Br, 4 → Canada W
Battersea Park
4 → London Br
2 → London Br
All of the Overground stations, coloured orange, see an increase in the number of trains. What changes is where they go. Queens Road Peckham and Peckham Rye see fewer trains to London Bridge, while the stations further west suddenly see none. If you want to go via Canada Water, great. But if you want to head to the City, the direct route is closed. Actually that's not a problem from Clapham High Street because you could always take the Northern line instead, and it's quicker and more frequent. But anyone in Denmark Hill, sorry, journey times to London Bridge increase by 50%.
» This redirection is important for the future of London Bridge station, which needs to have fewer terminating trains while it's being fundamentally rejigged over the next few years for Thameslink. Removing the South London line makes space for a sequence of platforms to be closed as part of a rolling programme, which is going to get painful, but by 2018 should have paid off big time.
Number of trains per hour(westbound)
this week
next week
Battersea Park
10 → Victoria
8 → Victoria
Wandsworth Road
2 → Victoria
0 → Victoria, 4 → Clapham Jn
Clapham High Street
2 → Victoria
0 → Victoria, 4 → Clapham Jn
Denmark Hill
4 → Victoria
2 → Victoria, 4 → Clapham Jn
Peckham Rye
4 → Victoria
2 → Victoria, 4 → Clapham Jn
Queens Rd Peckham
2 → Victoria
0 → Victoria, 4 → Clapham Jn
South Bermondsey
2 → Victoria
0 → Victoria
All of the Overground stations, coloured orange, see an increase in the number of trains. What changes is where they go. Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye see fewer trains to Victoria, while all other stations suddenly see none. If you want to go via Clapham Junction, great. But if you want to head to the West End, the direct route is closed. Actually that's not a problem from Clapham High Street because you could always take the Northern and Victoria lines instead, which isn't much slower, and services are more frequent. But anyone in Queens Road Peckham, sorry, journey times to Victoria increase by 50%. And from Wandsworth Road there'll be no inbound services at all, despite several whizzing by on the fast tracks.
» The Southwark Rail Users' Group aren't happy. They don't want services from the Peckham area to Victoria to be reduced, and are particularly annoyed that there'll no longer be any direct trains on Sundays or after 7:30pm on weekdays. Read about the issue in much more detail on their website, and take a look at what the new local rail map looks like.
The new London Overground southern extension is a great step forward for many, but a retrograde disconnect for others.
