West Croydon to Wimbledon Line


The West Croydon to Wimbledon Line was a railway line in south London. It was constructed by the Wimbledon and Croydon Railway over part of the trackbed of the Surrey Iron Railway. It opened on 22 October 1855 connecting the South West Main Line of the London and South Western Railway to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. National Rail services ended and the line officially closed in 1997 for it to be converted into a new route for the Tramlink network, which eventually opened in May 2000.

Operation

Initially, it was operated under contract by its engineer George Parker Bidder, but in 1856 it was leased to the LB&SCR, which purchased it outright in 1858. After construction of the branch from Merton Park to Tooting in 1868 the section from Wimbledon to Merton Park became joint LSWR/LB&SCR. On 1 January 1923 under the 1921 grouping it became part of the Southern Railway.

Electrification

The line was electrified using the 750 V third rail direct current power supply on 6 July 1930.

Closure and re-use

The last train ran on 31 May 1997 and the line closed on 2 June 1997 for most of it to be converted into the Tramlink network.