SouthEastern train passing through Clapham Junction

[ComUtoR]

Understood. Although some of them don’t have a choice to go anywhere but Victoria as it is their only London Terminal. What about those heading to Woking, Southampton, Watford, Gatwick, Brighton, Croydon, Reading, Staines?

Gatwick - Into Vic and then Gatwick Express or from Kent, its a relatively short trip round the 25. Gatwick also has other options from London Bridge or even High speed up to Pancras and then down to Gatwick.
Croydon - If your anywhere on the Vic line then Beckenham Junction and then Trap is a fantastic option. Its only a 23min trip from Beck Junction to East Croydon.

Reading - Crossrail will open up going though London. Not sure how well it would link the Kent Coast to that side of London but its an Opportunity for sure.

Generally I hate going in and then back out but the railway was built a thousand years ago and everything goes in/out by design. As @Horizon22 points out. Southeastern is very fortunate with their links into London. However, coming up from the coast becomes more prohibitive. Gillingham to Charing Cross for example.......

 

[Bald Rick]

What about those heading to Woking, Southampton, Watford, Gatwick, Brighton, Croydon, Reading, Staines?

Gatwick, Brighton, Croydon - change at Vic. Easy.

Reading - Vic, Circle to Padd, then 25minutes. Far quicker than changing at Clapham.

As for the rest - how many people actually want to make those journeys, compared to going to Centrsl London? I’d be surprised if it was more than 1 in a thousand.

 

[Horizon22]

Also Southeastern has lots of lovely Z2/Z3 interchanges which simply do not exist in places in West & North London (that have traditionally relied on tube connections).

Places such as Herne Hill, Peckham Rye, the aforementioned Denmark Hill and even London Bridge (albeit Z1) are great and are sometimes just a same platform / cross platform change. In future for those people going across London from Dartford / Bexley / Greenwich areas, Abbey Wood will become a considerable interchange.

As myself and @ComUtoR alluded to, the railway has been built centuries ago for links into C.London. The SE/SW is actually slightly better than the rest for its circular routes (thanks to the lack of tube, due to the clay) but we can’t reverse history. Although the growth of Overground / Thameslink / Crossrail is of course welcome, these schemes cost £billions, are disruptive to existing railway and have to be practical (unlike reversing at Clapham Junction).

 

[OxtedL]

You are also incorrect, before the route via Sevenoaks was built, ALL Network South East trains ran this way.

Just to be clear, the Sevenoaks route opened around 1868. It predates Network South East by more than 100 years.

Clapham Junction itself only opened in 1863. So I think you only have 5 years of data to go off here, and it might be a little out of date!

 

[Surreytraveller]

Just to be clear, the Sevenoaks route opened around 1868. It predates Network South East by more than 100 years.

Clapham Junction itself only opened in 1863. So I think you only have 5 years of data to go off here, and it might be a little out of date!

Brilliant