How can Brixton Southeastern station be improved?

[Sad Sprinter]

I do wish the Catford platforms were reopened. That would increase footfall if there was a quarter-hourly service to Lewisham from there. Perhaps terminating at the old bay platform at Blackheath.

If only the London Brighton and South Coast built their tracks along the north side of the Chatham - with a flyover west of Wandsworth Road. At least then a South London Line station could be built along the Catford Loop at Brixton.

 

[MPW]

I do wish the Catford platforms were reopened. That would increase footfall if there was a quarter-hourly service to Lewisham from there. Perhaps terminating at the old bay platform at Blackheath.

If only the London Brighton and South Coast built their tracks along the north side of the Chatham - with a flyover west of Wandsworth Road. At least then a South London Line station could be built along the Catford Loop at Brixton.

Are you referring to brixton when you say Catford platforms? I can't see any disused platforms on Google maps... maybe a few inches of extra width next to tracks

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Are you referring to brixton when you say Catford platforms? I can't see any disused platforms on Google maps... maybe a few inches of extra width next to tracks

Yes, there were platforms there like, 100 years ago. If you look at the London end of the Down Main platform, you can see a bit of platform spreads out along the Up Catford line. The bridge supports for the rest of the platform must have been removed long ago.

How I dream of a Victoria - Clapham - Brixton - Peckham - Brockley - Lewisham service...

 

[cle]

I think it would have been very short!

Overground is more reliable - 4tph (might be more in future) all the way through Peckham up to Canada Waster, Whitechapel etc - more useful than Lewisham. Although it's a busy corridor and SE London has bad roads and few good bus lanes.

I would like a 4tph Victoria-Lewisham service too. Brockley would likely only be viable with that as a minimum service 'up top'. But does it give much more to the SE route (re ELL) than the call at New Cross - which is only 4tph but empty train and closer to the core.

 

[RJ]

Yes, there were platforms there like, 100 years ago. If you look at the London end of the Down Main platform, you can see a bit of platform spreads out along the Up Catford line. The bridge supports for the rest of the platform must have been removed long ago.

How I dream of a Victoria - Clapham - Brixton - Peckham - Brockley - Lewisham service...

That would be a useful orbital service for South London trips. The Victoria to Lewisham line feels a little overlooked, probably because it’s a bit of a stagger for people going to Central London, but it’s incredibly useful as an orbital link. There probably aren’t enough of these trips to justify the investment. More’s the pity trains using the Atlantic can’t stop at Brixton

 

[Enthusiast]

Are you referring to brixton when you say Catford platforms? I can't see any disused platforms on Google maps... maybe a few inches of extra width next to tracks

There were originally platforms on the Catford Loop tracks but they were closed in 1916 and eventually demolished. All that remains today is a short stretch on the Up side, just east of the junction with the main line. Soon after Brixton opened a service began between there and Camberwell, via a curve at Loughborough Junction and this service was extended to Elephant & Castle and Blackfriars. As well as that there were services from Moorgate, via Snow Hill, Elephant & Castle and Brixton terminating at Grosvenor Road, just outside Victoria and to Crystal Palace (High Level) via Nunhead. The curve between Brixton and the northbound line towards Elephant still exists.

 

[Elybob]

That would be a useful orbital service for South London trips. The Victoria to Lewisham line feels a little overlooked, probably because it’s a bit of a stagger for people going to Central London, but it’s incredibly useful as an orbital link. There probably aren’t enough of these trips to justify the investment. More’s the pity trains using the Atlantic can’t stop at Brixton

There's been a lot of discussion about ropening East Brixton (although sadly not much since COVID) which would have services to Lewisham and only be a 5 min walk from the SE station

As someone used to live in the area, loads of people I know did the Peckham/Lewisham commute by car/bus

 

[MarkyT]

The old up Catford Loop platform was very tight up in the junction V with the Chatham Main Line. That would mean under modern rules that in order to draw up into the platform a signal overlap would have to extend beyond the platform signal right through the junction, locking out all other simultaneous moves on the main line in both directions until the train had come to a stand. If any Main Line movements were taking place already then the Catford Loop train would have to wait until they'd cleared the junction before it could be signalled in. You also wouldn't be able to make simultaneous arrival moves into both up platforms as their overlaps would interfere. Mechanical interlocking had similar controls typically, so I expect it proved operationally impractical to call there routinely as it would overly constrain capacity on the main line, and generate unpredictable disruption in the case of even minor late running. I think there's a restricted overlap there today with the signal set back a little from the junction. That means if the junction is blocked on approach you get checked for a warning route at the previous signal. A new platform might be built further back from the junction with the signal moved to get a longer reduced length full overlap suitable for the approach speed to tackle the problem but that means longer passageways, crossing more roads to the east etc so probably adds to difficulty and cost. A new down platform could be built closer to the junction as there's no overlap issue.