Balham Station

Balham Station has both an underground stop and a National Rail station.
For the underground, the only option from this station is the Northern line. The main problem with this line is that it can be quite packed during the morning rush hour. It gets to Balham fairly packed and leaves completely packed. I really don’t know how people in Clapham actually get to work.
For the National Rail station, you can get the train to other major train stations in London. Depending on the train you catch, you can get to Clapham Junction in one stop.
A downside of this station, as mentioned in some other reviews. Is that the lines to refill your Oyster card can be quite long. You definitely want to avoid doing this during the morning rush hour.
On the plus side, there are places to get a coffee, both in the entrance and on the platform of the train station part. Also, the station is well situated in the area with plenty of shops, restaurants and pubs nearby. You can likely pick up whatever you need without making a big detour on your way from the station to your home.

Make sure you have an Oyster Card as the queues for tickets can be long. Great station which is located on Balham High Road and a handy McDonald’s a minute’s walk away. Sainsbury’s Car Park (opposite) is a useful pick up/​drop off point.

Just wanted to say thanks to the staff who managed to find my oyster card when I left it on the midday train to East Croydon on May 3^rd. I really wasn’t expecting to get it back but they went the extra mile for me. Cheers!

The ticketing situation still sucks here — there are queues every morning that would make Mother Russia proud — but this is a fantastically well connected station. Not only is it 2 stops from Clapham Junction (1 if you get a fast train), but it also has direct trains to Milton Keynes, Croydon, Victoria, London Bridge, and various places in Surrey.
There is a decent little café (Puccino’s I think) on the platform, and you can usually find somewhere to sit. Its also consistently busy throughout the day, so tends to be pretty safe, even late at night. As London train stations go, Balham gets a lot of things right (apart from the ticketing!).

I can only agree with what else has been written about Balham station, plan your journey and add in another half hour if you want to buy your tickets on the day. I was really surprised to see such great big queues — not just for the man behind the glass (if you fancy that extra added touch of customer service and getting your tickets from a real person) but also for the ticket machines. Surely surely they could consider getting in another one or two machines. I mean, it’s not as if travel is cheap is it? Needless to say, the morning I decided to use this station to go to work ended up in me being late. sigh. be warned.
But on a more positive note — the underground is okay. And whats more you get music too.

I thought I’d write a quick review of Balham overground because it’s so irritating. There are two ticket machines, and two windows for staff to sell you tickets, but, whenever you want to travel, especially if it is anywhere within sniffing distance of a peak time, you have to wait ages to get your tickets.
The station itself seems to be in a continuous state of repair and reconstruction, but there’s never any sign of progress, and the staff are downright annoying. There. I’ve said it. Buy your tickets in advance, preferably weekly, and grit your teeth.