Time for improvements at Wandsworth Town railway station, rail chiefs concede

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

Rail operators have said they are working to upgrade Wandsworth Town railway station, after complaints that trains are often overcrowded, delayed or cancelled.

Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) are pressing ahead with plans to build three new lifts at the station, along with investigating proposals to build a second entrance.

The new lifts will provide step-free access to all four platforms at the station, while a second entrance would improve its accessibility if it goes ahead.

It comes after Putney MP Fleur Anderson launched a campaign to improve the station and its services.

The Labour MP met Network Rail and SWR last month to demand improvements in the reliability, regularity and capacity of trains leaving the station, along with a timeline of planned upgrades to the station – including step-free access.

Ms Anderson said: “Over recent months, I have had too many residents telling me that the service at Wandsworth Town station has been unacceptable. I have heard complaints that trains are frequently overcrowded, delayed or cancelled.

“I have met with South Western Railway and Network Rail to express a series of demands from passengers. I have asked that they increase train frequency, reduce cancellations, improve platform signage and provide a timeline for the completion of improvements to the station, including step-free access.”

Ms Anderson said passengers are often told of platform changes at short notice, which results in people sprinting to catch the train. Last-minute platform changes, she added, are not possible for some disabled and elderly people.

An SWR spokesperson said: “We know how frustrating it can be when train services are disrupted and our teams work incredibly hard to minimise the impact. At times, that can mean having to make short-notice changes to platforms as our control team try to keep trains running around disruptions.

“We are committed to sharing information as early as possible to help customers get where they need to go and work closely with stakeholders and rail user groups to make improvements.

“Commuters at our busiest stations, such as Wandsworth Town, will benefit greatly from the extra space on board our new fleet of 90 Arterio trains when they begin rolling out in the coming months.”

A Network Rail spokesman added: “We are sorry to passengers who may have frustrations with the station in its current form.

“For the safe and smooth running of the railway, signallers sometimes need to make changes to the tracks that trains run on. We know these changes inconvenience passengers, but we try and do this as early as possible to ensure passengers have time to change platforms.

“We are working closely with SWR, the council and other partners to improve the station and make it more accessible.”

Pictured top: MP Fleur Anderson (Picture: Fleur Anderson)