Following Wingate & Finchley this season has seen a number of trips onto the old Southern Region of British Railways for evening games. Travel to these matches coincides with the evening rush when the trains are packed with commuters making their way home after a long day in the offices, shops and businesses of central London. The journeys often entail travelling through Clapham Junction – a seething mass of people rushing between platforms as they change trains. During the peak around 180 trains every hour will pass through this station making it one of the busiest in Europe. At every station throughout the Southern Network trains disgorge footweary passengers onto the platforms for them to make the final part of their journey home, be it on foot or by connecting bus service. Later in the evening though, the stations are quiet with few passengers to disturb the mice or trouble the staff…
A late bus makes its way along Station Road in Hampton
Hampton Station on the Shepperton Branch – Largely deserted in the late evening
A Waterloo to Shepperton Service at Hampton made up of a Class 455 EMU – the same train will return to collect London bound passengers. The service is operated by South West Trains.
A late evening Victoria to Dorking service calls at Carshalton. Operated by Southern, the train is made up of two class 456 units with 456002 leading.
Carshalton Station – a handful of passengers waiting for the next London train.
Buses on the High Street outside Bromley South Station at the end of the rush hour.
Bromley South – some very late commuters head for the exit having just got off a Chatham bound train.
St.John’s Hill Battersea, outside Clapham Junction Station – still busy in the late evening.
Clapham Junction Station at night – just a small group of ladies on a girls night out, a couple of other solitary passengers and, of course, me with my camera. These are the London Overground platforms.
Journey’s end – London Victoria Station. The Class 465 (465909) in the centre has just arrived from Ashford. To the right, passengers board a Chatham service on platform 1.
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