Clapham Junction - Overground

[parkender102]

Anyone know which platform the London Overground trains normally depart from Clapham Junction [CLJ] to Stratford? I'm familiar with getting the train to Woking every morning from C:J (South West Trains) but have never taken an Overground train from there. I've a 10 minute interval to get off the Woking train, top up my Oyster Card, and find the Platform for the Overground. Going to Gospel Oak and no alternative as I'll have my (non folding) bike with me and no Underground Line up that way allows a bike on to the trains.

 

[cjohnson]

Platform 1 (very, very rarely it might be 17, but only in times of disruption and/or engineering work).

 

[maniacmartin]

The direct trains to Stratford via Willesden Junction depart from Platform 1, (nearly) always.

Beware though that Platform 1 and Platform 2 are actually opposite ends of the same dog-leg shaped platform. You need to end nearest the subway, not the footbridge.

If you want to topup, then after alighting the train from Woking, take the subway stairs towards the front of your train, then follow signs for Grant Road exit near Platform 1. Exit the ticket barriers, topup using the TVMs, come back through the barriers, and go up the first staircase on the left onto Platform 1.

This will be quicker than trekking to and from other exits with staffed ticket offices, as they're a long walk from Platform 1.

 

[parkender102]

Platform 1 (very, very rarely it might be 17, but only in times of disruption and/or engineering work).

Thanks - not sure where to top up my Oyster as I only ever use the Ticket Machines at the Main Entrance for South West Trains tickets to Woking. I assume there are machines at the Grant Road (Platform 1) end though.

 

[maniacmartin]

The Grant Road exit has about 5 TVMs (Ticket Vending Machines) that are capable of doing Oyster topups

 

[tractakid]

There's an early morning train from P17, I believe.

 

[maniacmartin]

There's an early morning train from P17, I believe.

Well spotted! Its at 05:47. But it appears to only go as far as Willesden Jn.

 

[parkender102]

Thanks for all the replies. So off at Clapham Junction down the steps to the Subway, left to the Exit Barriers (Grant Road), Exit, Top Up Oyster, Re-Enter then left up first set of steps to Platform 1.

I love this forum - so helpful!

 

[313103]

The reason for the 05:47 service departing platform 17 is so that the traincrew maintain competence over that section of route. But has been mentioned above virtually all services depart from platform 1. Although should it be needed trains can also depart from platform 2> just to confuse people even more.

 

[dmspastor]

why you not top up your oyster card on-line ?

It will saves you from running like The Road Runner.

However if you like bit of exercise ... then good luck

 

[wiltshirebloke]

why you not top up your oyster card on-line ?

It will saves you from running like The Road Runner.

However if you like bit of exercise ... then good luck

If you have boarded from a station outside the Oyster Zone, and intend to use your Oyster card for onward travel from CLJ on the Overground, you must make sure you exit through the barriers, and then re-enter using your Oyster Card - There are no form of validators on the platforms, so you'll end up with a missing entry point and a maximum charge.

If you intend to top-up at Grant Rd, this will be ok.

This is the advice given from TFL, as I often used to board at Staines (on NR) and the travel either via NLL/SLL without exiting/entry - and got stung by the 'missing touch in/outs'

 

[Lockwood]

why you not top up your oyster card on-line ?

It will saves you from running like The Road Runner.

However if you like bit of exercise ... then good luck

Don't you stil have to tap it at a TVM at a named station in order to get it to apply the topup? (ISTR not bothering to top up online in the past, as I could either queue for an age to use the TVM to pay for it with cash or faff around with the online card payment and then queue for an age to activate the topup at a TVM.)

 

[transmanche]

Don't you stil have to tap it at a TVM at a named station in order to get it to apply the topup? (ISTR not bothering to top up online in the past, as I could either queue for an age to use the TVM to pay for it with cash or faff around with the online card payment and then queue for an age to activate the topup at a TVM.)

Not a TVM, just a normal touch-in/touch-out.

Even better, use the auto top-up - there's no need to nominate a station, it just happens!

 

[parkender102]

I tend to top up at the station as I claim as a Business Expense Weekly therefore need a receipt which the machine provides me with. Otherwise I would have to wait and get a copy of my Oyster history for proof of purchase. I've had problems with on line top up in the past with nominated stations and waiting 24 hours for credit to appear.

I just make sure I top up at TVM when the station is quiet as I am very close to the tube station and can check history at the machine also (as well as online)

 

[transmanche]

've had problems with on line top up in the past with nominated stations and waiting 24 hours for credit to appear.

As mentioned previously, that's not an issue with auto top-up.

 

[yorkie]

I highly recommend auto top-up. Without it, I had to remember in advance of my trip to London, to activate it. I also would have to commit to exactly where I would start a journey, but on the day plans change (if I recall correctly, if I chose King's Cross, I even had to specify if I was going to touch on the sub-surface or tube gatelines!)

I can now go straight from the train to the Underground without any faffing about at TVMs or advance planning and logging in online. It just happens!

Even if you are only an occasional user, it's well worth setting it up.

Only the first touch, to activate it, has to be at a nominated station.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I love this forum - so helpful!

Great to hear that!

 

[IanD]

I highly recommend auto top-up.

If the minimum auto top up wasn't £20, I'd agree with you. But as it stands, you can end up with the best part of £30 on your Oyster and for me, even as a sometimes frequent user, that is far too much to have sitting in TfL's pocket rather than mine.

 

[causton]

If the minimum auto top up wasn't £20, I'd agree with you. But as it stands, you can end up with the best part of £30 on your Oyster and for me, even as a sometimes frequent user, that is far too much to have sitting in TfL's pocket rather than mine.

That's the only reason I don't use it! If it was £10, I definitely would consider it. But when I mostly use paper tickets because either:
- I'm travelling using an outboundary travelcard
- I'm splitting with a Boundary Zone return
- I'm going to spend a long time inside the system
...I don't use my Oyster card all that much, so therefore I don't want £25 or so sitting around in it forever!

 

[yorkie]

Personally I'd rather 'lose out' on 28p annual interest* by having auto top-up than having that amount in a savings account, than faff about at TVMs doing top-ups manually, but that's just my (strong) preference & recommendation.

(* assuming an average of £14, and assuming you could get 2% interest on it if you put it in a savings account)

 

[IanD]

Personally I'd rather 'lose out' on 28p interest* by having auto top-up than having that amount in a savings account, than faff about at TVMs doing top-ups manually, but that's just my (strong) preference & recommendation.

(* assuming an average of £14, and assuming you could get 2% interest on it if you put it in a savings account)

It's not the interest, it's the fact that Tfl have my money unnecessarily. With £29.90 on an Oyster card I can buy £29.90's worth of travel with Tfl* but with £29.90 in my pocket I can buy anything I want - including topping up my Oyster card if necessary.

(*Actually, with £29.90 on my Oyster Card, I can buy £20 worth of travel with TfL then they'll take another £20 so I can't access the last £9.90 unless the auto top-up is cancelled).

 

[transmanche]

It's not the interest, it's the fact that Tfl have my money unnecessarily. With £29.90 on an Oyster card I can buy £29.90's worth of travel with Tfl* but with £29.90 in my pocket I can buy anything I want - including topping up my Oyster card if necessary.

I think of it like money down the sofa.

I only travel using Oyster every few months, so it comes as a pleasant surprise to have what feels like 'free money' on the card!

 

[Muzer]

The only times I would really use Oyster is when I don't have a travelcard, either because I'm driven into London, or because I'm staying somewhere overnight and so get a return rather than a day travelcard.