£2.6m revamp for Balham railway station
By Sian Bayley, Local Democracy Reporter
Balham railway station is to undergo a £2.6 million revamp to improve and replace drainage systems so commuters will not get their feet wet.
Work is set to begin in mid-November and conclude in the spring.
New sheeting will also be installed on the platform canopies.
Wandsworth council’s transport spokesman, Cllr John Locker, welcomed the news.
He said: “This is good news for passengers who will be offered greater protection from the elements and won’t have to stand around in puddles waiting for trains.
“We welcome all measures that improve the experience of passengers especially at a busy interchange like Balham.”
The station first opened in 1856 as Balham Hill and was actually situated on the west side of Balham High Road.
It was re-sited in 1863 to its present location as part of works to widen the line and improve the route between East Croydon and London Victoria.
Closures will be in place on the following dates:
- Between 9pm Friday, November 20 and 6am Monday, November 23
- Between 9pm Friday, February 12 and 6am Monday, February 15
- Between 9pm, Friday February 19 and 6am Monday, February 22.
There will also be a single lane closure on the station side of the road on Sunday nights only between November 8 and March 7.
Pictured top: Balham railway station
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
It certainly needs remedial work, and dealing with the leaking booking hall ceiling is useful first step, but what we really need is wholly reconstructed, fit-for-21st-century transport hub combining train, Tube and bus in one overarching structure. The station was last rebuilt in the 1950s when Balham was a very different place, and it’s now (except during lockdown) inadequate and actually unsafe for the large crowds that use it every day. Even the pavement in Station Rd is too small for the number of commuters making their way to the station, and the dogleg corridor is a dangerous crush-point. At times, the station has to be closed because of overcrowding – it only has an island platform in regular use, which isn’t enough. And any delay here – as there often is because of overcrowding – means services on the whole Victoria-Croydon/Sutton/Crystal Palace network is disrupted. So Balham needs to be prioritised for a major reconstruction (which would necessarily involve some propert demolition) rather than tinkering round the edges.