Businesses struggling as Overground closures are 'killing' trade

Local business owners in South London have cited concerns about dropping trade amid local London Overground station closures. The traders have said frequent suspensions of the Windrush Line have caused a noticeable dip in business, putting a strain on expenses such as rent.

Victor Piloiu, 35, opened his coffee shop beside Wandsworth Road station in 2020. The business owner said the majority of his trade is reliant on commuters using the station, which has been impacted by the intermittent closures in recent months. He said he thinks the frequency of the closures has dissuaded other businesses from investing in the area.

He said: "The station was closed 25 weekends out of 53. I've been making three times less on Saturdays and I don't open on Sundays now when the station is closed."

He added: "Most of my customers are already making plans to travel another way because usually it's closed. They don't even check it anymore... The thing is it wouldn't even be a problem if they would do something about it, but we don't even get notice. We have to check when it's closed or not. I go in the morning and I'm hoping the station is open."

Transport for London (TfL) revealed last month that Wandsworth Road station had been closed 77 times between May 2023 and November 2024 as a result of engineering works on rail infrastructure. The information was shared after a local business owner cited the impacts the closures were having on them.

The business owner said: "This request is for details on why this is happening and how much longer will this level of closures be carrying on for. I have a business by the station and it is killing my business."

Another Wandsworth business owner affected by the Windrush line closures, who wished to remain anonymous, said the disruptions had been going on for nearly two years. They said the station has always shut every few months for general maintenance, but that the closures increased significantly from May 2023. They added that they had contacted Network Rail and their landlord, The Arch Company, about their concerns on being able to afford their rent given the dips in business, but the issue appeared to be getting passed between TfL and the two bodies.

They told MyLondon: "Suddenly it started every other weekend, with no notification or communication from anybody. That's the first thing that's really wound people up, the contempt for the tenants basically... The Arch Company are saying it's got nothing to do with them. They said that it's Network Rail and they have no influence over their engineering works."

They added: "You do notice it. When the station is closed, it's quiet. I'm probably about 40 per cent down each time that happens... I'm working seven days a week and paying myself less than minimum wage."

A spokesperson for The Arch Company told MyLondon that it was a privately owned company that manages the arches within the railway viaduct, renting them to thousands of small businesses in the capital. They said that whilst they understood and empathised with the challenges that transport closures could pose for the businesses, they unfortunately did not have control over the timing of railway engineering works.

Nick Biskinis is a member of the Clapham Transport Users Group and has lived in the area for over 10 years. He claimed that the disruptions to the Windrush line were also affecting businesses around Clapham High Street.

Mr Biskinis told MyLondon: "The problem is that Clapham has a night time leisure economy that is particularly dependent on orbital travel at the weekends. The bus replacement service on the weekends is only half hourly and because of the nature of the route, it takes far too long to get a bus from say Wandsworth Road to Surrey Quays or Canada Water. That's impacting on the leisure economy."

He added: "It's beginning to show that the Windrush line is becoming a weekday operation only. The London Overground at weekends has become one of London's least reliable lines because it's never operating."

A TfL spokesperson told MyLondon that redevelopment works at Surrey Quays station and Network Rail planned maintenance and re-signalling works had resulted in closures on the Clapham branch of the Windrush line over the past 12 months. They added that the works at Surrey Quays station will be coming to a close shortly.

The spokesperson said: "The majority of London Overground lines run on Network Rail infrastructure. We are aware of the impact that planned engineering and maintenance work on their infrastructure can have on our customers and apologise for any disruption it may cause. We do however also recognise the need for these essential track works to keep the infrastructure in good condition, allowing us to operate a safe and reliable service."

They added: "When planned engineering and maintenance work is timetabled, we work at speed to notify our customers and share a range of alternative travel options well in advance."

The spokesperson said that the transport authority challenges the need for each closure and ensured that as much work as possible was completed during closures. They said customers are always advised to check before they travel, allow extra time for their journeys, and check the TfL website or the TfL Go app for the latest travel information.

A Network Rail spokesperson told MyLondon: "There is never a good time to close parts of the rail network but work to maintain and upgrade the railway is vital to ensure the safe running of the railway for the millions of people who use it every day. Network Rail manages over 20,000 miles of railway track across Britain, and the majority of work is planned months and often years in advance so that disruption not only in London but across Britain is kept to a minimum."

They added: "Tracks on much of the London Overground network serve as a key artery for freight overnight, with an average of 60-80 trains running on weekday nights. As weekends continue, for the most part, to be the quietest part of the week for travel, we use this time to carry out vital engineering work."

Have a story you want to share? Email joseph.coughlan@reachplc.com.

Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.