It was built by the Wimbledon and Croydon Railway Company (W&CR) over part of the trackbed of the Surrey Iron Railway. It opened on 22 October 1855 connecting the South West Main Line of the LSWR to the LB&SCR. 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. The line was electrified on the 3rd rail dc system from 6 July 1930. The last train ran on 31 May 1997 and the line closed on 2 June 1997 for most of it to be re-used in the Tramlink network.