Southfields tube station

Southfields is a London Underground station in Southfields in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The station is on the District Line between East Putney and Wimbledon Park stations. The station is located on Wimbledon Park Road at the junction with Augustus Road and Replingham Road. It is in Travelcard Zone 3.

Southfields is the most convenient station from which to reach the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, venue of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships; Wimbledon Park station is slightly closer geographically but requires a longer walk.

History

The station was opened by the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR, now the District Line) on 3 June 1889 on an extension from Putney Bridge station to Wimbledon. The extension was built by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) which, starting on 1 July 1889, ran its own trains over the line from a connection at East Putney to its Clapham Junction to Barnes line.

The section of the District Line from Putney Bridge to Wimbledon was the last part of the line to be converted from steam operation to electric. Electric trains began running on 27 August 1905.

Mainline services through Southfields were ended by the Southern Railway (successor to the L&SWR) on 4 May 1941, although the line remained in British Rail ownership until 1 April 1994 when it was transferred to London Underground. Until the transfer, the station was branded as a British Rail station.

Future Developments

A lift from the platform to the ticket office/exit level is planned for Southfields Station as the station is being used during the Olympic Games in 2012. Work has not started, but a new ticket hall design is scheduled to be finished in 2008. [ [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/ip-report-06-07-q2.pdf Transport for London Invenstment Programme Report, Second Quarter, 2006/07] ]

If Crossrail Line 2 is built, it will probably follow the Chelsea-Hackney line route which would see it go through Southfields Station and supplement or replace the existing District Line service.

Trivia

The station platform undergoes a makeover each year to coincide with the tournament, funded by a particular company for advertising purposes. For instance, in 2006, the station platform was covered in red flooring, as were the benches, because of American Express's advertising campaign for a credit card that supports an AIDS charity. In 2005, Televisions were installed and played non-stop adverts, also for American Express.

Southfields Station and Wimbledon Park Station are of identical design, but both stations have since been altered. Southfields Station has changed the most due to high passenger traffic during Wimbledon Tennis. The left side of the staircase at Southfields was widened (with the extension being built out of wood rather than brick construction) the pillar in the left side of the staircase was originally an external feature. A second doorway was opened up to the west of the original doorway into the ticket office area and a short footbridge was built from the top of the staircase over the railway to Wimbledon Park Road. (In recent times the footbridge had been closed and used as a storage area but after London Underground took over the station they reopened it as an exit.)

When Southfields Station was transferred from British Rail to London Underground a temporary ticket office was built to the west of the station above the track and the wall of the bridge was removed. This temporary ticket office and the floor it was on have now been removed, but the supporting structure that held them up is still there.

ervices and Connections

As well as the District Line, Southfields Station is also served by two bus routes: the 39 and the 493. [ [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/southfields-10929.pdf Bus Services from Southfields Station] ]

The 39 bus runs from Clapham Junction to Putney Bridge tube station via Wandsworth, Southfields and Putney.

The 493 bus runs from St George's Hospital to Richmond via Tooting Broadway, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Station, Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Southfields, Putney Heath, Mortlake, North Sheen, Richmond Bus Station and Richmond Station.

The 156 bus and the N87 night bus route both run along Merton Road, which is five minutes walk from Southfields Station.

During the two weeks of Wimbledon Tennis a shuttle bus runs from Southfields Station to the tennis courts. Travelcards and bus passes are not accepted on this bus.

References

External links

* [http://photos.ltmcollection.org London Transport Museum Photographic Archive]
** ltmcollection|l2/i00002l2.jpg|Southfields station, 1933
** ltmcollection|dk/i00001dk.jpg|Southfields station, 2001

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