East Croydon station

East Croydon
Main entrance and Tramlink stop
East Croydon Location of East Croydon in Greater London
Location	Croydon
Local authority	London Borough of Croydon
Managed by	Southern TfL (tram platforms)
Owner	Network Rail Transport for London
Station code	ECR
DfT category	B
Number of platforms	6 plus 3 Tramlink platforms
Accessible	Yes [1][2]
Fare zone	5
Tramlink annual boardings and alightings
2009–10	4.001 million[3]
2010–11	4.380 million[4]
National Rail annual entry and exit
2008–09	20.581 million[5]
— interchange	6.371 million[5]
2009–10	19.881 million[5]
2010–11	20.100 million[5]
— interchange	7.113 million[5]
2011–12	20.551 million[5]
— interchange	6.317 million[5]
2012–13	20.965 million[5]
— interchange	6.526 million[5]
2013–14	21.797 million[5]
— interchange	6.906 million[5]
Key dates
12 July 1841	Opened as "Croydon"
February 1850	Renamed "Croydon East"
1 May 1862	Renamed "East Croydon"
1 June 1909	Renamed "East Croydon Main"
July 1924	Amalgamated with "East Croydon Local" to form "East Croydon"[6]
19 August 1992	New station building opened
14 May 2000	Tramlink stop opened
Other information
Lists of stations	DLR Underground National Rail Tramlink
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
London Transport portal UK Railways portalCoordinates: 51°22′31″N 0°05′32″W / 51.3752°N 0.0923°W / 51.3752; -0.0923

East Croydon is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon and is in Travelcard Zone 5. It is 10.35 miles (16.56 km) south of London Bridge. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the 3rd busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting, it is also one of the busiest non-terminal through stations in the United Kingdom.^[7] It is one of three railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon with Croydon in their name, the others being West Croydon and South Croydon. Along with Kensington Olympia, East Croydon was until 13 December 2008 one of two stations in London served by CrossCountry.

History

The population of Croydon increased 14-fold (from 16,700 to 233,000) between the opening of the station in 1841 and 1921. As a result the station has been enlarged and rebuilt on several occasions.

Opening

On 12 July 1841 the London & Brighton Railway (L&BR) began passenger services through Croydon station (now East Croydon) on the Brighton Line from London Bridge to Haywards Heath.^[8] The station was designed by the architect David Mocatta, the second station in the town since the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) had opened its Croydon station (now West Croydon) in June 1839.

After 1842 the station was jointly administered by the L&BR and the South Eastern Railway (SER), which shared the Brighton main line as far as Redhill. Fares from Croydon to London were common to two railways.^[9] In 1846 The L&BR and the L&CR amalgamated to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), and the two stations were renamed East Croydon and West Croydon to avoid confusion.

New Croydon

With the completion of the line to Victoria between 1860 and 1862, extra platforms were needed to provide a terminal for LB&SCR suburban services to and from the West End of London whilst London Bridge trains continued to use the existing lines. The new platforms adjoined East Croydon but were treated by the LB&SCR as a separate station named New Croydon, with its own ticket office, and which ran exclusively LBSCR services. This device enabled the railway to avoid breaking an agreement with the SER, whilst offering cheaper fares than the SER from the original station.^[10]

The terminal platforms at New Croydon proved difficult to operate as there was limited space for locomotives to run round their trains. As a result, in 1863 the LB&SCR obtained Parliamentary authority to build a one-mile (1.6 km) extension to a new terminus at South Croydon, which provided the additional operating room.^[11]

Central Croydon

In 1864, the LB&SCR obtained authorisation to construct a 0.5 miles (0.8 km) long branch line into the town centre near Katharine Street, where Central Croydon station was built. The line opened in 1868 but enjoyed little success and closed in 1871, only to reopen in 1886 under pressure from the council before finally closing in 1890. It was demolished and replaced by the town hall.^[12]

1894/95 rebuilding

By the late 1880s the station was again congested due to the growth of traffic on the main lines, the expansion of the suburban network in South London and the new line from Croydon to Oxted. As a result the station was rebuilt and the tracks remodelled during 1894/5. At the same time the suburban lines were extended from South Croydon to Coulsdon North, where they joined the new Quarry line.^[13] In 1897–98, East Croydon and New Croydon were merged into a single station with the three island platforms that remain. The two stations kept separate booking accounts until 1924.^[14]

1992 rebuilding

The present station building opened on 19 August 1992. It consists of a large steel and glass frame suspended from a lightweight steel structure that straddles the track and platforms to a much greater extent than was possible with its Victorian predecessor.

Four steel ladder masts anchor the glass box and the whole gives the impression of a suspension bridge that stretches into the distance. External canopies cover the entrances, a cafe's open-air seating area and the approaches to the tram stop. 440 m² of glass were used in the roof and 800 m² for the wall glazing. The architects were Alan Brookes Associates and the structural engineers YRM Anthony Hunt Associates.

2010 revamp plans

It was announced in 2010 that Network Rail had proposed a £20m project to revamp the station with an additional entrance and a short cut into the town centre.^[15] In September 2010, Croydon Council pledged £6m towards the revamp, ensuring that a bridge is included in the plans.^[15]

Services

Destinations

The station has frequent services on the London – Gatwick Airport – Brighton line, the Thameslink route from Brighton via London Bridge and St Pancras International to Bedford, and the London Bridge – Uckfield branch. East Croydon serves destinations mainly in East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and Brighton & Hove, including Gatwick Airport, Horsham, Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Brighton, Reigate, Hastings, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Portsmouth, Tonbridge and many suburban stations in South London and Hertfordshire.

Trains include Thameslink services to Brighton, Redhill, Bedford, Luton and London Luton Airport, which means that the station has direct services to two airports. They also serve stations in or near the City of London, including St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink and London Blackfriars.

Former services

Services from London Bridge to Tunbridge Wells via Redhill were operated by Southeastern until December 2008, when they were transferred to Southern and curtailed at Tonbridge.

CrossCountry services stopped at East Croydon on the route to Brighton and Newcastle, withdrawn in December 2008.

Up (northbound)

Platform 1 serves fast up (northbound) trains to Victoria. Fast services to Bedford use platform 2. Fast and stopping services to London Bridge and some to Victoria use platform 4. Platform 5 serves both directions, with trains terminating from Milton Keynes and services north to London Bridge mainly from Uckfield (most use Platform 4).

In trains per hour:

• 11 to Victoria:
  • 9 fast, calling at Clapham Junction only
  • 2 stopping, via Thornton Heath
• 11 to London Bridge:
  • 1 fast
  • 4 semi-fast, calling at Norwood Junction only
  • 2 semi-fast, calling at Norwood Junction and New Cross Gate
  • 2 stopping, calling at all stations via Sydenham
• 1 to Milton Keynes Central, via Kensington Olympia and Watford Junction
• 4 to Bedford (operated by Thameslink)

Down (southbound)

Platforms 2 and 3 are used for the fast down (southbound) services, to Brighton and the Sussex Coast. Stopping services use platform 5 (both directions, normally used off-peak for trains terminating). Platform 6 is served by stopping services to Caterham and Tattenham Corner, and by services to Oxted, East Grinstead and Uckfield. (Gatwick Express services pass through platforms 2 and 3 going southwards).

There are 27 train departures per hour off-peak during the week.

Operated by Southern:

• 3 to Brighton:
  • 2 non-stop
  • 1 stopping
• 4 to Caterham
• 2 to Tattenham Corner
• 2 to East Grinstead
• 1 to Uckfield
• 2 to Bognor Regis via Crawley, portion for Portsmouth Harbour or Southampton detached at Horsham
• 1 to Portsmouth Harbour via Crawley
• 1 to Southampton Central via Crawley
• 2 to Littlehampton via Worthing, portion for Eastbourne or Hastings detached at Haywards Heath
• 1 to Eastbourne
• 1 to Hastings via Eastbourne
• 2 to Horsham
• 1 to Tonbridge
• 1 to Reigate
• 1 to South Croydon

Operated by Thameslink:

• 4 to Brighton:
  • 2 semi-fast
  • 2 stopping

Facilities

The main entrance is from George Street.^[16] Another entrance is next to the taxi rank on Billinton Hill just off Cherry Orchard Road, on the east side. There are several shops.

The ticket office and the ticket machines usually become busy during peak hours. Disabled-accessible slopes to all platforms are provided and there is a footbridge connecting all platforms. There are three waiting rooms on the platforms with standard metal seats. There are refreshment stalls and vending machines in the seating areas on the platforms. Trolleys are available along with step-free access to buffets.^[17]

Oyster Pay as you go (PAYG) and contactless payments are accepted on journeys within London travelcard zones.

There are electronic information displays showing departures to 80 stations.

Future

Station expansion

Several plans for station expansion have been put forward; none of which were confirmed to be happening by January 2015.

As part of the Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme, East Croydon is planned to be expanded to both the west and the east. Work has been planned on the west side for some time to increase station capacity, made more urgent by likely additional traffic from the planned Croydon Gateway nearby. A proposal by Arrowcroft, which included the 12,500-seat Croydon Arena, was rejected in August 2008.^[18] Arrowcroft had proposed a £24 million expansion of the station with a new 'airport style' concourse above the tracks to the north of the station. Arrowcroft had agreed to contribute £500,000 to the build costs to offset the impact of their proposed Arena. The source of the remaining £23.5 million was not identified, and Network Rail had not committed this expenditure in its capital plans.

The alternative scheme called Ruskin Square, by the owners of the site Stanhope Schroders, includes a planned contribution of £1.1 million for station capacity improvements that could be quickly implemented and integrated into their planned scheme for a new urban park, a rebuilt Warehouse Theatre, a doctors' surgery, housing (50% "affordable") and modern offices on the Croydon Gateway site.

To the east, towards Cherry Orchard Road, the proposed towers result in an extension to the station. The architect is Make with the client Menta, engineer Knight Frank and GL Hearn. Originally this project was planned to start in 2009, but this has been put back to 2019 with the planned completion date in 2023. The mixed-use scheme is for approximately 93,000 sq m (1 million sq ft) of accommodation in a series of crystalline towers. Some 70% of the area is planned to be residential accommodation, with the remaining 30% mixed commercial use, including offices and retail. Critical to all proposals are improvements to transport interchange. No project has yet delivered the necessary funds for significant enhancements.

Renaming Proposal

In late 2014 plans were made to rename the station "Croydon Central".^[19]

Thameslink Programme

The Thameslink Programme (formerly Thameslink 2000) is a proposed £3.5 billion major project to expand the Thameslink network from 51 to 172 stations^[20] spreading northwards to Bedford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn and southwards to Guildford, Eastbourne, Horsham, Hove to Littlehampton, East Grinstead, Ashford and Dartford. The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaducts) and additional rolling stock. If implemented, Thameslink services might call more often at the station and other stations in the Croydon area, including Purley and Norwood Junction.

Selhurst Depot

There is a large railway depot for Southern and Thameslink trains to the north at Selhurst.

Transport connections

East Croydon is well served by both tram and bus, with a tram stop outside and a bus station close by. London Bus services reach Central London, Purley Way, Bromley, Lewisham and places to the south. Route X26, the longest London bus route, runs to Heathrow Airport via Sutton and Kingston.

Immediately outside the station is the Tramlink stop, with services to Elmers End, Beckenham Junction, New Addington and Wimbledon. A major interchange, East Croydon has three tram platforms, two on an island, the other backing on to the station entrance. Following problems with the points in this area, in August 2006 they were fixed to route all eastbound trams into Platform 1, the concourse-side platform. The island platform can be used only by westbound trams and by trams terminating from the east.

Crime

In January 2006 the London Assembly issued statistics of crime in main-line railway stations outside Zone 1. East Croydon, Clapham Junction and Walthamstow Central were the worst affected. Both councils and railway companies were blamed.^[21]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to East Croydon station.

• Train times and station information for East Croydon station from National Rail
• grid reference TQ2512230
• BBC News article on Croydon's trams
• BBC News article on East Croydon's position in the top 10 stations
• East Croydon tram stop on The Trams website

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
London Bridge or Tulse Hill or London Blackfriars		Thameslink Thameslink		Redhill or Gatwick Airport
Clapham Junction		Southern Brighton Main Line (Brighton Fast and Semi Fast)		Purley
				Redhill
				Gatwick Airport
				Brighton
Norwood Junction		Southern London Bridge-Tunbridge Wells (via Redhill)		Purley
Norwood Junction		Southern Brighton Main Line (Stopping)		South Croydon
Selhurst
Selhurst		Southern West London Route		South Croydon or Terminus
Tramlink
Wellesley Road One-way operation		Route 1		Lebanon Road towards Elmers End
George Street towards Wellesley Road
Wellesley Road One-way operation		Route 2		Lebanon Road towards Beckenham Junction
George Street towards Wellesley Road
Wellesley Road One-way operation		Route 3		Lebanon Road towards New Addington
George Street towards Wimbledon
Wellesley Road One-way operation		Route 4		Lebanon Road towards Elmers End
George Street towards Therapia Lane

Buildings and structures in Croydon Highrises 100 George Street Altitude 25 Apollo House Central One Cherry Orchard Road Towers Croydon Tower Croydon transmitting station Croydon Vocational Tower Direct Line House ISLAND Leon House Lunar House Nestlé Tower No. 1 Croydon Prudential House Ruskin Square Saffron Square Taberner House Wettern House Notable lowrises Addington Palace Airport House Ashcroft Theatre Bridge House BRIT School Croydon College Croydon Clocktower (David Lean Cinema Museum of Croydon Croydon Central Library) Cane Hill Old Palace Croydon Minster Fairfield Halls Grants John Ruskin College Croydon University Hospital RAF Kenley Ruskin House Safari Cinema St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood The Exchange Trinity School of John Whitgift Warehouse Theatre Major railway stations East Croydon Norwood Junction Purley West Croydon Major complexes Allders Ashburton Learning Village Centrale Colonnades Leisure Park Grants Park Place Purley Way St George's Walk Valley Park Retail Area Whitgift Centre Sports venues Croydon Arena Croydon Sports Arena Croydon Water Palace Selhurst Park Architecture of Croydon Croydon Vision 2020 List of tallest buildings and structures in Croydon

Tramlink Route 1 Addiscombe Arena Blackhorse Lane Centrale Church Street East Croydon Elmers End George Street Lebanon Road Sandilands Wellesley Road West Croydon Woodside Route 2 Addiscombe Arena Avenue Road Beckenham Junction Beckenham Road Birkbeck Blackhorse Lane Centrale Church Street East Croydon George Street Harrington Road Lebanon Road Sandilands Wellesley Road West Croydon Woodside Route 3 Addington Village Ampere Way Beddington Lane Belgrave Walk Centrale Church Street Coombe Lane Dundonald Road East Croydon Fieldway George Street Gravel Hill King Henry's Drive Lebanon Road Lloyd Park Merton Park Mitcham Junction Mitcham Morden Road New Addington Phipps Bridge Reeves Corner Sandilands Therapia Lane Waddon Marsh Wandle Park Wellesley Road West Croydon Wimbledon Route 4 Addiscombe Ampere Way Arena Blackhorse Lane Centrale Church Street East Croydon Elmers End George Street Lebanon Road Reeves Corner Sandilands Therapia Lane Waddon Marsh Wandle Park Wellesley Road West Croydon Woodside Rolling stock CR4000 Variobahn Transport for London London Transport portal

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Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Southeastern routes Thameslink and Great Northern routes serving this station Thameslink Bedford to Brighton Bedford (Wixams planned) Flitwick Harlington Leagrave Luton Luton Airport Parkway Harpenden St Albans City West Hampstead Thameslink St Pancras International Farringdon City Thameslink London Blackfriars Elephant & Castle Loughborough Junction Herne Hill Tulse Hill London Bridge East Croydon Redhill Gatwick Airport Three Bridges Balcombe Haywards Heath Wivelsfield Burgess Hill Hassocks Preston Park Brighton Southern routes serving this station Brighton Main Line London Victoria Clapham Junction London Bridge East Croydon Purley Redhill Horley Gatwick Airport Three Bridges Balcombe Haywards Heath Wivelsfield Burgess Hill Hassocks Preston Park Brighton Oxted Line London Bridge via Norwood Junction then East Croydon or London Victoria Clapham Junction East Croydon Sanderstead Riddlesdown Upper Warlingham Woldingham Oxted Hurst Green Lingfield Dormans East Grinstead Edenbridge Town Hever Cowden Ashurst Eridge Crowborough Buxted Uckfield Redhill Lines London Bridge New Cross Gate Norwood Junction London Victoria Clapham Junction East Croydon Purley Coulsdon South Merstham Redhill Reigate Nutfield Godstone Edenbridge Penshurst Leigh Tonbridge Earlswood Salfords Horley Gatwick Airport Three Bridges Crawley Ifield Faygate Littlehaven Horsham Mainline East London Victoria Clapham Junction London Bridge East Croydon Horley Gatwick Airport Three Bridges Balcombe Haywards Heath Wivelsfield Plumpton Cooksbridge Lewes Southease Newhaven Town Newhaven Harbour Bishopstone Seaford Polegate Hampden Park Eastbourne Pevensey & Westham Pevensey Bay Normans Bay Cooden Beach Collington Bexhill St Leonards Warrior Square Hastings Ore Mainline West London Victoria Clapham Junction London Bridge East Croydon Purley Redhill Horley Gatwick Airport Three Bridges Crawley Ifield Faygate Littlehaven Horsham Christ's Hospital Billingshurst Pulborough Amberley Arundel Balcombe Haywards Heath Wivelsfield Burgess Hill Hassocks Preston Park Hove Portslade Shoreham-by-Sea Lancing Worthing West Worthing Durrington-on-Sea Goring-by-Sea Angmering Littlehampton Ford Barnham Bognor Regis Chichester Fishbourne Bosham Nutbourne Southbourne Emsworth Warblington Havant Bedhampton Hilsea Fratton Portsmouth & Southsea Portsmouth Harbour Cosham Portchester Fareham Swanwick Netley Woolston St Denys Southampton Central Metro Caterham and Tattenham Corner London Bridge New Cross Gate Brockley Honor Oak Park Forest Hill Sydenham Penge West Anerley Norwood Junction London Victoria Battersea Park Clapham Junction Wandsworth Common Balham Streatham Common Norbury Thornton Heath Selhurst West Croydon East Croydon South Croydon Purley Oaks Purley Kenley Whyteleafe Whyteleafe South Caterham Reedham (Surrey) Coulsdon Town Woodmansterne Chipstead Kingswood Tadworth Tattenham Corner West London Line Milton Keynes Central Bletchley Leighton Buzzard Tring Berkhamsted Hemel Hempstead Watford Junction Harrow & Wealdstone Wembley Central Shepherd's Bush Kensington (Olympia) West Brompton Imperial Wharf Clapham Junction Wandsworth Common Balham Streatham Common Norbury Thornton Heath Selhurst East Croydon South Croydon Southeastern routes serving this station None Stations in italics are served on limited occasions, at peak hours or on Sundays only. Govia - National Rail - Thameslink and Great Northern - Southeastern - Southern - Gatwick Express - South West Trains