Despite having a whopping 17 platforms, Clapham Junction in southwest London is not the first you’d think of when you picture a busy train station

But it is among Europe’s busiest train stations, just not for the reason you might expect.

The station is a major crossover point with six junctions providing connections for the south of England, making it among the busiest in Europe by the number of trains using it.

It has been estimated that between 100 and 180 pass through the station per hour, except for the five hours after midnight.

This means up to 3420 trains pass through daily, with over 2,000 stopping.

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The station is also thought to be the busiest UK station for interchanges between services as well as the only railway station in Britain with more interchanges than entries or exits.

In a video on TikTok, a historian explained the station’s history, why it’s named for Clapham but in Battersea and why it’s so busy.

Ali (@ali.unoriginal) said: “There has been a railway there since 1838. By 1963 five different railway companies were using the interchange.

“That year, five companies got together to build Clapham Junction. It’s been a complete mess since then.

“They knew the area was definitely Battersea. Clapham used to be lovely, while Battersea wasn’t. It was a rural farming stead which the Victorians turned into a more working-class area.

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“Clapham was affluent, rich, hip and trendy. The station was named after Clapham bluntly to attract people”

Ali adds: “It’s one of the busiest in Europe – one of the main entries into London from the south. Six different junctions and 17 platforms are crammed into one space. That’s the issue – there are tonnes of legacy systems and history here.

“It’s a major point of dependency on the southern England railway network. While there is a rebuild plan, TFL is terrified of the disruption it would cause.”

Clapham Junction is not the busiest train station in the UK in terms of passengers, however.

This title goes to London Liverpool Street, which saw 80.4million from April 2022 to March 2023. It rose three ranks in one year due to the opening of the Elizabeth Line.

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