18/270 - Wimbledon

District line platforms at
Wimbledon station,
13th May 2017

Wimbledon is the terminus of the branch of the district from Earl's Court. With 13.4 million passengers using the London Underground services in 2016, Wimbledon is the second busiest terminating station on the District line.  The District line platforms form part of a large interchange between different forms of transportation at the station. With Wimbledon station being part of the plans for Crossrail 2, the station has an interesting future. 

The first railway station in the area opened in 1838, but it was not until June 1889 that the Metropolitan District Railway extended their line from Putney Bridge to Wimbledon. The current station was built in the 1920s and currently sees over 60 trains or trams leave the station each hour. Up until 1905, the section of the Metropolitan District Railway between Putney Bridge and Wimbledon was served by steam. In August 1905, this section was converted to electric services. 

A Tramlink platform at
Wimbledon
13th May 2017

Currently National Rail, London Underground and Tramlink serve the station. Tramlink services started operating from Wimbledon in May 2000, and has seen an increase in the number of trams per hour calling at Wimbledon in recent years. There is a proposal to extend Tramlink services from Wimbledon to Sutton via Morden, St. Helier and Rose Hill. In addition to the current services at Wimbledon, the station is part of the plans for Crossrail 2, with will see trains go to Tooting Broadway, Clapham Junction, Chelsea and onto central London via Victoria, Tottenham Court Road and Euston. 

Station sign at Wimbledon,
13th May 2017

Wimbledon is similar to other terminating London Underground services which share the station with National Rail services. Because the station is operated by a Network Rail company, there are no roundels on the platforms, which looks incredibly strange. So far on my journey around the network, I have only found this happen at two other stations; Richmond and Upminster, although there is a heritage roundel on the signal box at Upminster. 

Wimbledon is my least favourite station on the branch of the District line between Earl's Court and Wimbledon. However, all the other stations between Earl's Court and Wimbledon are lovely, particularly Putney Bridge, West Brompton, Parsons Green and Wimbledon Park. If you are looking for a day out on the London Underground, I highly recommend this branch of the District line. Wimbledon is in zone 3, which makes a day out exploring these stations and surrounding areas inexpensive compared to other routes or stations to tick of the list. 

Despite not being the most exciting station on the network, the area surrounding Wimbledon station is lovely, and other stations on this branch are well worth a visit. 

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