Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon’s tram network is set for a major boost as a £50 million deal secures 24 new trams, enhancing public transport capacity and modernising services.
For its south London network, which connects Croydon, Beckenham Junction, and Wimbledon, Transport for London has stated that it is moving quickly to buy a new fleet of trams worth £50 million.
The decision, which comes after the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spending Review earlier this month, puts an end to a more than five-year lull in financing for London’s transit system.
The Croydon network’s original trams are all over 25 years old.
By 2020, a replacement and procurement process should have been in motion, but COVID and lockout caused TfL’s finances to collapse, from which they have only just recovered.
The initial fleet of 24 Bombardier-built trams that were part of the Croydon tram network when it opened in 2000 have already outlived their anticipated lifespan, and they are being pulled out more frequently for necessary repairs and improvements.
Two of the 24 Bombardier CR4000 trams that were first put into service 25 years ago are no longer in use. Among them is tram number 2551, which was involved in the 2016 Sandilands derailment that claimed the lives of seven people.
Because of the transport authority’s unclear budgetary situation, the order for new trams has been stalled since 2023.
Importantly, TfL has not received any grants from the central government to buy new trams, nor is it getting any more funding.
A portion of that funding will come from Tube rates, which the government has determined must rise by 1% annually plus inflation until the end of this decade. In exchange, TfL would get around £2.2 billion from Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ extensive spending review to be used over the next four years for infrastructure projects, such as a new fleet of trams.
The capital’s transport body is now “re-setting our business plan for the years ahead,” a TfL representative told Inside Croydon today.
In September 2024, TfL invited four pre-qualified manufacturers—Switzerland’s Stadler, Hitachi Rail Ltd., Alstom Transport UK Ltd., and Spain’s Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA, or CAF—to submit bids.
The purchase for 24 might possibly contain “an option to extend the contract to build further trams that could replace the remaining trams introduced from 2012,” according to TfL’s announcement in the invitation to tender last year.
How will the £50m deal improve Croydon’s tram network capacity and reliability?
Many of the original Bombardier CR4000 trams, which have been in operation since 2000, are in bad condition and are becoming less reliable; renovation is not an option. These outdated trams will be replaced by new ones, which will minimize malfunctions and interruptions in operation.
More regular services will be possible thanks to the more trams, especially on the busiest lines, like the one between downtown Croydon and Elmers End, where passenger journeys have increased by 45% since 2000. This addition will accommodate increasing demand and assist reduce overcrowding.
In addition to new trams, there are plans for ongoing infrastructure improvements, including depot extensions, track improvements, and platform lengthening. These enhancements will boost overall network resilience and enable the operation of a bigger, more contemporary fleet.