South London transport can often turn into a heated debate; with north Londoners wielding their pitchforks at any opportunity for a sly dig.
Defenders of the faith will point out that the Overground can get you pretty much anywhere, while the Tube can swiftly whisk you to Brixton, Elephant & Castle and Tooting with ease. Naysayers, often travelling from the north of the river, will ask how doth one get to southeast London on the Tube?
The truth lies somewhere in the middle: there are quick routes down south, but getting there on the Tube can turn into a bit of a mission.
That, however, could soon become a problem of the past. Clapham Junction, the saviour changing point for many Overground routes could be about to change things forever. Plans are underway to determine whether a Northern line extension to the station can go ahead, which would add the fourth member of the Clapham station quadruplets to the line.
Add this to a proposed Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham (and beyond?), and it seems like everything will be looking very rosy for south London transport options.
Jacob Hogg, a Wandsworth Council leader, has said that a Northern line extension to Clapham Junction would be “a fantastic step forwards”. The council’s transport committee green-lit a proposal to draw up the plans for the proposal and carry out investigations into its plausibility. An executive decision will be made on February 13.
Should this move go ahead, Clapham Junction would follow in the footsteps of Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms on the Northern line, which became the first new stops on the London Underground since 1999 when they opened in September 2021.
Another extension to the line is likely to require private investment, just as the two newest stations on the line did, since TfL may not fund the entire project – which could cost £750 million.
Clare Fraser, cabinet member for transport, said: “We are ambitious for the future of Wandsworth, which includes increasing prosperity and opportunity and delivering a fairer, more compassionate and more sustainable borough. Our proposed Clapham Junction Urban Heart masterplan builds on those ambitions to utilise the many strengths of Clapham Junction to deliver new jobs, growth and new affordable housing.
“Our aim is to work with partners like the Mayor of London, Network Rail and Transport for London to invest in and revitalise the mainline station, and as part of that work we are exploring extending the Northern Line to Clapham Junction. This would be a fantastic step forwards for Wandsworth residents.”