Croydon - Transport and Waterways

Transport and Waterways

A few miles to the south of Croydon is a small gap in the North Downs, a route for transport from London to the south coast. The London to Brighton road used to pass through the town on North End before the A23 Purley Way was built to the west.

Buses

Transport for London operates many bus routes in and around Croydon. Most buses serve West Croydon bus station, next to the railway station and tram stop. Buses from Croydon serve Heathrow Airport, West Norwood, New Addington, Purley, Lewisham, Penge, Mitcham, Norbury and Bromley.

Rail

The Brighton Main Line railway south from Croydon goes to Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, and to Central London to the north, with through trains to Hastings, Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth, Gatwick Airport, Bedford and Luton. The main station is East Croydon, in the east part of the town centre, the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the tenth busiest in London.

West Croydon station is used by routes to the north and west. The East London Line operated by London Overground was extended to West Croydon in May 2010, establishing connections to Surrey Quays, Shoreditch, Dalston and Highbury & Islington. There are no plans for London Underground services to Croydon. There are several local rail stations in the borough. Passenger trains through Croydon are provided by Southern and First Capital Connect.

Tramlink

The London Tramlink light rail system, operated by Tramtrack Croydon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London, opened in 2000; Croydon is its main hub. Its network consists of three lines, from Elmers End to West Croydon, from Beckenham to West Croydon, and from New Addington to Wimbledon, with all three lines running via a loop in central Croydon. It is a successful, environmentally friendly and reliable system carrying around 22 million passengers a year. It is the only tram system in London. It serves Mitcham, Woodside, Addiscombe and the Purley Way retail and industrial area. An extension to Crystal Palace is currently on hold. Other possible extensions include Sutton, a new park and ride close to the M25, Coulsdon, Purley, Kingston upon Thames, Tolworth, Tooting, Brixton, Bromley and Lewisham, for an interchange with the Docklands Light Railway.