The South London train station that's 1 of Europe's busiest despite not being where it says it is

A historian has given his take on why Clapham Junction is actually located in Battersea - describing it as "a bit rubbish."

If you've ever journeyed into London from Surrey, Sussex or Hampshire, you're likely familiar with the sprawling expanse of Clapham Junction station.

With its 17 platforms, it's one of Europe's busiest railway stations, thanks to its six junctions offering connections across Southern England. However, a walk through the station today reveals that it's not exactly well-planned.

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In contrast to the charming scenes at Paddington, the bridge at this station isn't exactly an appealing spot for changing platforms. First-time visitors may find themselves shocked when navigating the gloomy tunnel beneath the tracks.

During rush hour, bank holidays or match days at Stamford Bridge and Twickenham, it transforms into a chaotic nightmare as fans squeeze onto crammed trains. This becomes an unavoidable ordeal if you're using the Grant Road exit.

In a TikTok video, @ali. unoriginal shed light on why the station is laid out in such a puzzling way, and why it's named after a place 1.4 miles away.

In summary, Ali attributes it to "bad planning, history and capitalism."

He elaborates: "There has been a railway there since 1838. By 1963 five different railway companies were using the interchange. That year, five companies got together to build Clapham Junction. It's been a complete mess since then.

"They knew the area was definitely Battersea. Clapham used to be lovely, while Battersea wasn't. It was a rural farming stead which the Victorians turned into a more working class area.

"Clapham was affluent, rich, hip and trendy. The station was named after Clapham to bluntly to attract people."

Ali further explained why it's considered a "bad station": "They knew the area was definitely Battersea. Clapham used to be lovely, while Battersea wasn't. It was a rural farming stead which the Victorians turned into a more working class area." It's one of the busiest in Europe - one of the main entries into London from the south. Six different junctions and 17 platforms are crammed into one space. That's the issue - there's tonnes of legacy systems and history here."

"It's a major point of dependency on the southern England railway network. While there is a rebuild plan, TfL are terrified of the disruption it would cause."

You can watch the full video here.

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