Tramlink

--- Advertisement ---

(i)

TRAMLINK is a light rail tram system serving Croydon
Croydon and surrounding areas in South London , England. It began operation in 2000, the first tram system in London since 1952. It is owned by London Trams , an arm of Transport for London (TfL), and operated by FirstGroup
FirstGroup .

The network consists of 39 stops along 28 km (17 mi) of track, on a mixture of street track shared with other traffic, dedicated track in public roads, and off-street track consisting of new rights-of-way, former railway lines, and one right-of-way where the Tramlink
Tramlink track parallels a third rail -electrified Network Rail line.

The network has four lines that coincide in central Croydon, with eastbound termini at Beckenham Junction , Elmers End and New Addington , and a westbound terminus at Wimbledon , where there is an interchange for London Underground
London Underground . The Tramlink
Tramlink is the fourth-busiest light rail network in the UK behind Manchester Metrolink , Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro and the Docklands Light Railway .

CONTENTS

* 1 History

* 1.1 Construction * 1.2 Former lines reused * 1.3 Buyout by Transport for London

* 2 Current system

* 2.1 Stops

* 2.2 Routes

* 2.2.1 Route 1 (lime) * 2.2.2 Route 2 (lime) * 2.2.3 Route 3 (green) * 2.2.4 Route 4 (bottle green)

* 2.3 Change in route colours * 2.4 Fares and ticketing

* 3 Feeder buses

* 4 Rolling stock

* 4.1 Engineering vehicles

* 5 Future developments

* 5.1 Trams 2030

* 5.1.1 Phase A * 5.1.2 Phase B * 5.1.3 Phase C * 5.1.4 Other developments

* 5.2 Projected extensions * 5.3 Extension D / Route 5 * 5.4 Extension A * 5.5 Extension B * 5.6 North and south from Croydon
Croydon * 5.7 Other extensions

* 6 Accidents and incidents

* 6.1 November 2016 derailment

* 7 Onboard announcements * 8 See also * 9 References * 10 Further reading * 11 External links

HISTORY

Main article: Trams in London

CONSTRUCTION

Tram
Tram on trial in George Street, Croydon
Croydon in October 1999. The cars were painted in London Transport red and white livery.

In 1990 Croydon
Croydon Council with London Regional Transport (LRT) put the project to Parliament and the Croydon
Croydon Tramlink
Tramlink Act 1994 resulted, which gave LRT the power to build and run Tramlink.

In 1996 Tramtrack Croydon
Croydon Limited (TCL) won a 99-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract to design, build, operate and maintain Tramlink. TCL was a partnership comprising FirstGroup
FirstGroup , Bombardier Transportation (the builders of the system's trams), Sir Robert McAlpine and Amey (who built the system), and Royal Bank of Scotland and 3i (who arranged the finances). TCL kept the revenue generated by Tramlink
Tramlink and LRT had to pay compensation to TCL for any changes to the fares and ticketing policy introduced later.

TCL subcontracted operations to CentreWest Buses .

One of the factors leading to its creation was that the London Borough of Croydon
Croydon has no London Underground
London Underground service.

FORMER LINES REUSED

Interlaced track near Mitcham

There are four routes: Route 1 – Elmers End to Croydon; Route 2 – Beckenham Junction to Croydon; Route 3 – New Addington to Wimbledon; and Route 4 – Elmers End to Wimbledon. Route 2 runs parallel to the Crystal Palace to Beckenham Junction line of the Southern network between Birkbeck and Beckenham Junction – the National Rail
National Rail track had been singled some years earlier.

From Elmers End to Woodside, route 1 and route 4 (and route 2 from Arena) follow the former British Rail branch line to Addiscombe , then diverge to reach Addiscombe tram stop, 500 metres (1,600 feet) east of the demolished Addiscombe railway station. At Woodside the old station buildings stand disused, and the original platforms have been replaced by accessible low platforms.

From Woodside to near Sandilands (routes 1, 2 and 4) and from near Sandilands almost to Lloyd Park (route 3), Tramlink
Tramlink follows the former Woodside and South Croydon
Croydon Railway , including the Park Hill (or Sandilands) tunnels.

The section of Route 3 between Wimbledon and West Croydon
Croydon mostly follows the single-track British Rail route, closed on 31 May 1997 so that it could be converted for Tramlink. Within this section, from near Phipps Bridge to near Reeves Corner, route 3 follows the Surrey Iron Railway , giving Tramlink
Tramlink a claim to one of the world's oldest railway alignments – Tramway Path beside Mitcham tram stop
Mitcham tram stop had its name long before Tramlink. A partial obstruction near this point (reinforcement to a retaining wall below a car park) has necessitated the use of interlaced track .

A Victorian footbridge beside Waddon New Road was dismantled to make way for the flyover over the West Croydon
Croydon to Sutton railway line. The footbridge has been re-erected at Corfe Castle station on the Swanage Railway (although some evidence suggests that this was a similar footbridge removed from the site of Merton Park Railway Station ).

BUYOUT BY TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

In March 2008, TfL announced that it had reached agreement to buy TCL for £98m. The purchase was finalised on 28 June 2008. The background to this purchase relates to the requirement that TfL (who took over from London Regional Transport in 2000) compensates TCL for the consequences of any changes to the fares and ticketing policy introduced since 1996. In 2007 that payment was £4m, with an annual increase in rate.

In October 2008 TfL introduced a new livery, using the blue, white and green of the routes on TfL maps, to distinguish the trams from buses operating in the area. The colour of the cars was changed to green, and the brand name was changed from Croydon
Croydon Tramlink
Tramlink to simply Tramlink. These refurbishments were completed in early 2009.

CURRENT SYSTEM

STOPS

Tram
Tram 2530 leaving Croydon
Croydon on an Elmers End service in 2004

The tram stops have low platforms, 35 cm (14 in) above rail level. They are unstaffed and have automated ticket machines. In general, access between the platforms involves crossing the tracks by pedestrian level crossing. There are 39 stops, most being 32.2 m (106 ft) long. They are virtually level with the doors and are all wider than 2 m (6 ft 7 in). This allows wheelchairs , prams , pushchairs and the elderly to board the tram easily with no steps. In street sections, the stop is integrated with the pavement.

Tramlink
Tramlink uses some former main-line stations on the Wimbledon–West Croydon
Croydon and Elmers End–Coombe Lane stretches of line. The railway platforms have been demolished and rebuilt to Tramlink
Tramlink specifications, except at Elmers End and Wimbledon where the track level was raised to meet the higher main-line platforms to enable cross-platform interchange .

Thirty-eight stops opened in the phased introduction of tram services in May 2000. Centrale tram stop in Tamworth Road opened on 10 December 2005, increasing journey times slightly. As turnround times were already quite tight this raised the issue of buying an extra tram to maintain punctuality. Partly for this reason but also to take into account the planned restructuring of services (subsequently introduced in July 2006), TfL issued tenders for a new tram. However, nothing resulted from this.

All stops have disabled access, raised paving, CCTV, a Passenger Help Point, a Passenger Information Display (PID), litter bins, a ticket machine, a noticeboard and lamp-posts, and most also have seats and a shelter.

The PIDs display the destinations and expected arrival times of the next two trams. They can also display any message the controllers want to display, such as information on delays or even instructions to vandals to stop placing objects on the track.

ROUTES

Tram
Tram 2545 in original livery at Beckenham Junction in 2001. Tram
Tram 2536 in the second livery at Morden
Morden Road , heading towards Wimbledon in 2006. A tram leaving Croydon
Croydon towards Wimbledon, going past Reeves Corner in 2009. Tram
Tram 2558 at East Croydon
Croydon on route 1 in 2013.

Since 1 June 2016 Tramlink
Tramlink has been shown on the principal tube map , having previously appeared only on the "London Connections" map . The original routes were Line 1 Wimbledon to Elmers End , Line 2 Croydon to Beckenham Junction , and Line 3 Croydon
Croydon to New Addington . On 23 July 2006 the network was restructured, with route 1 from Elmers End to Croydon, route 2 from Beckenham Junction to Croydon
Croydon and route 3 from New Addington to Wimbledon. In June 2012 route 4 from Therapia Lane to Elmers End was introduced. Monday 4 April 2016, route 4 was extended from Therapia Lane to Wimbledon.

Route 1 (lime)

Main article: Tramlink route 1

ROUTE 1

* _Terminus:_ Elmers End * Arena * Woodside * Blackhorse Lane * Addiscombe * Sandilands * Lebanon Road

* East Croydon
Croydon Trains to Gatwick and Luton * George Street * Church Street * Centrale * West Croydon
Croydon * Wellesley Road

_Then to East Croydon
Croydon and back to Elmers End _

Route 2 (lime)

Main article: Tramlink route 2

ROUTE 2

* _Terminus:_ Beckenham Junction * Beckenham Road * Avenue Road * Birkbeck * Harrington Road * Arena * Woodside * Blackhorse Lane * Addiscombe * Sandilands * Lebanon Road

* East Croydon
Croydon Trains to Gatwick and Luton * George Street * Church Street * Centrale * West Croydon
Croydon * Wellesley Road

_Then to East Croydon
Croydon and back to Beckenham Junction _

Route 3 (green)

Main article: Tramlink route 3

ROUTE 3

* _Terminus:_ New Addington * King Henry\'s Drive * Fieldway * Addington Village * Gravel Hill * Coombe Lane * Lloyd Park * Sandilands * Lebanon Road

* East Croydon
Croydon _ Trains to Gatwick and Luton * George Street * Church Street * Wandle Park * Waddon Marsh (for Purley Way retail parks)_ * Ampere Way _(for Valley Park retail park)_ * Therapia Lane * Beddington Lane * Mitcham Junction * Mitcham * Belgrave Walk * Phipps Bridge * Morden
Morden Road * Merton Park * Dundonald Road * Wimbledon

_Then back to Wandle Park_

* Reeves Corner * Centrale * West Croydon
Croydon * Wellesley Road

_Then to East Croydon
Croydon and back to New Addington _

Route 4 (bottle Green)

Main article: Tramlink route 4

ROUTE 4

* _Terminus:_ Elmers End * Arena * Woodside * Blackhorse Lane * Addiscombe * Sandilands * Lebanon Road

_Then back to Wandle Park_

* Reeves Corner * Centrale * West Croydon
Croydon * Wellesley Road

_Then to East Croydon
Croydon and back to Elmers End _

CHANGE IN ROUTE COLOURS

When TfL took over a new network map was designed, combining Routes 1 and 2 as one service, coloured "Trams Green" (lime). (Originally, Line 1 was yellow, Line 2 red, and Line 3 a darker ( District line
District line ) green. ) Trams from Elmers End on Route 1 used to change their numbers in central Croydon
Croydon to Route 2 (Beckenham Junction) and the reverse in the other direction, but this has changed in light of the introduction of Route 4.

FARES AND TICKETING

A Tramlink
Tramlink Ticket Machine

TfL Bus Passes are valid on Tramlink, as are Travelcards that include any of zones 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Cash fares and pay-as-you-go Oyster Card fares are the same as on London Buses , although special fares may apply when using Tramlink feeder buses.

When using Oyster Cards, passengers must touch in on the platform before boarding the tram. Special
Special arrangements apply at Wimbledon station , where the Tramlink
Tramlink stop is within the National Rail
National Rail and London Underground
London Underground station, where Tramlink
Tramlink passenger must touch in at the station entry barriers then again at the Tramlink
Tramlink platform to inform the system that no tube journey has been made.

FEEDER BUSES

Bus routes T31, T32 and T33 used to connect with Tramlink
Tramlink at the New Addington, Fieldway and Addington Village stops. T31 and T32 no longer run, and T33 has been renamed 433.

ROLLING STOCK

Main articles: CR4000 and Croydon Variobahn

Tramlink
Tramlink is operated with 34 passenger vehicles. The original fleet comprised 24 articulated low floor Flexity Swift CR4000 trams built by Bombardier Transportation in Vienna
Vienna numbered beginning at 2530, continuing from the highest-numbered tram 2529 on London\'s former tram network , which closed in 1952. In 2006, the CR4000 fleet was refurbished, with the bus-like destination blinds being replaced by an electronic dot system. In 2009 the fleet was repainted into a new green livery.

In January 2011, Tramtrack Croydon
Croydon opened a tender for the supply of ten new or second-hand trams from the end of summer 2011. The trams will be used between Therapia Lane and Elmers End. On 18 August 2011, TfL announced that Stadler Rail
Stadler Rail had won a $19.75 million contract to supply six Variobahn trams similar to those used by Bybanen in Bergen
Bergen , Norway. They entered service in 2012. In August 2013, TfL ordered an additional four Variotrams for delivery in 2015, for use on the Wimbledon to Croydon
Croydon link, an order which was later increased to six. This brought the total Variotram fleet up to ten in 2015, and twelve in 2016 when the final two trams were delivered.

Tram
Tram 2535 (the first to travel on the Croydon
Croydon network under its own power) carries a nameplate in honour of Stephen Parascandolo, the founder of the unofficial Croydon
Croydon Tramlink
Tramlink website, who was tragically killed in a road accident at the age of 26.

CLASS IMAGE TOP SPEED NUMBER BUILT FLEET NUMBERS

MPH KM/H

CR4000

50 80 24 1998–2000 2530–2553

Variobahn

50 80 6 2011–2012 2554-2559

6 2014–2016 2560-2565

ENGINEERING VEHICLES

Engineers' vehicles used in Tramlink
Tramlink construction were hired for that purpose. In November 2006 Croydon
Croydon Tramlink
Tramlink purchased five second-hand engineering vehicles from Deutsche Bahn . These were two DB class Klv 53 engineers' trams (numbered 058 and 059 in Tramline service), and three 4-wheel wagons (numbered 060, 061, and 062). Service tram 058 and trailer 061 were both sold to the National Tramway Museum in 2010.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

TRAMS 2030

In November 2014, a 15-year plan for upgrades to the tram system to greatly increase capacity on the network in line with an expected increase in ridership to 60 million passengers by 2031. The plans would relieve overcrowding and improve reliability on all lines, support housing growth, (as laid out in the London Plan) and support programmes for regeneration in the Croydon
Croydon metropolitan centre (such as Croydon
Croydon Vision 2020 , the Croydon
Croydon Opportunity Area, and Westfield Croydon
Croydon ); furthermore, the upgrades seek to future-proof for Crossrail 2 , potential Bakerloo line extension to the east of the network, and extensions to the tram network itself. The plans involve dual-tracking across the network and introducing diverting loops on either side of Croydon, allowing for a higher frequency of trams on all four branches of the network without increasing congestion in Croydon
Croydon metropolitan centre; the £737m investement programme is to be funded partially by the Croydon
Croydon Growth Zone, TfL Business Plan, housing levies, and the respective boroughs, as well as partially by the affected developers. The plans are outlined in three phases consisting of six outputs:

Phase A

To support developments in Croydon, construction of a diverting loop in East Croydon
Croydon has been proposed at Dingwall Road. This loop would run up Dingwall Road alongside the Ruskin Square
Ruskin Square development, call at a new stop on Lansdowne Road, and return to the Croydon
Croydon loop before the Wellesley Road stop (refurbished to accommodate for higher ridership); services originating from New Addington would alternate between using the main Croydon
Croydon loop and this loop before returning to New Addington, although the services around the Croydon
Croydon loop may be phased out. The aim of this is to increase the number services both around the Croydon
Croydon loop and to Wimbledon originating from Elmers End to meet demand; to accommodate this increase in services, dual-tracking of line after Arena and the construction of a second platform at Elmers End is required. This is fully committed, partially funded by TfL and partially by the Croydon
Croydon Partnership of Westfield and Hammerson, with construction to begin in 2017 and to be completed by 2020.

Phase B

An increase in capacity westwards from Croydon
Croydon centre could support housing growth at industrial and commercial areas in the Wandle Valley area; this could help fund the schemes through a housing levy, although this would require changes in planning allocation from both Croydon
Croydon and Sutton councils. To achieve this, dual-tracking between Beddington Lane and Mitcham Junction and a second platform at Wimbledon was completed in November 2015, allowing for an initial 50% increase in capacity when Route 4 was extended to Wimbledon. To further increase capacity by ~150%, a series of bottlenecks are proposed to be either resolved or avoided: as well as dual-tracking of line at Phipps Bridge and on the Wandle Flyover (between Reeves Corner and Wandle Park), a new route has been proposed between a spur in South Wimbledon or Colliers Wood and a reversing loop in Old Town, Croydon
Croydon to avoid constraints at Wimbledon station and in Croydon. This line could provide connections to the South Wimbledon/Colliers Wood Area for Intensification and the Northern Line, as well as supporting connections to the proposed South London Metro at Mitcham Junction and West Croydon. The new service could initially run between Morden
Morden Road and Croydon
Croydon before being extended to the new spur. New stops would be built in South Wimbledon/Colliers Wood and in Old Town (initially proposed as Frith Road), as well as an additional platform at Reeves Corner for westward services. This plan may be in service by 2023.

Phase C

A 25% increase in capacity could be achieved by the introduction of another passing loop on the Beckenham Junction branch; the extra services could either be fed through Croydon
Croydon centre or around the Dingwall Loop; this could be in place by 2027. Furthermore, if extra capacity is required, tram stops could be lengthened to serve either longer trams or two trams coupled together on services between Wimbledon and Beckenham Junction or Elmers End; however, the expense required as well as issues from lengthening stops in the Croydon centre may prevent this. This would be in place by 2029.

Other Developments

These developments could see an increase in fleet from 30 to up to 80 trams (depending on whether longer trams or coupled trams are used). As such, an increase in depot and stabling capacity across the whole 15-year plan is also required; an enlargement of the current Therapia Lane site as well as sites near the Elmers End and Harington Road tram stops have been shortlisted. Furthermore, plans for increases in capacity at Wimbledon are supported long-term with the redesign of the station as part of plans of Crossrail 2 and at East Croydon
Croydon as part of plans for an upgrade of the Brighton Main Line . The plan also is designed to accommodate the long-term aim of extending services to Crystal Palace

PROJECTED EXTENSIONS

The Mayor's Transport Strategy for London states that extensions to the network could be developed at relatively modest cost where there is potential demand from existing and new development to support concentrated passenger movements, and where Tramlink
Tramlink technology might be cost effective. Proposal 4D7 says that "The Mayor will explore the potential for extending the Tramlink
Tramlink network where doing so could help meet the objectives of the Transport Strategy cost effectively" and sought initial views on the viability of a number of extensions by summer 2002.

EXTENSION ROUTE

Sutton Town Centre/Station – Wimbledon Through St Helier , Morden
Morden and Morden
Morden Road (including via St. Helier Hospital and direct routes and routing variants within Sutton Town Centre)

Sutton – Tooting Through St Helier and Mitcham (including routing variants via Mitcham Junction and direct)

Mitcham Junction – Mitcham town centre Through Mitcham Common

Central Croydon
Croydon – Coulsdon Through Purley , Purley Station and could involve a Park and Ride scheme

Central Croydon
Croydon – Brixton
Brixton Through Thornton Heath , Norbury , Streatham
Streatham and Streatham
Streatham Hill as well as past Mayday Hospital

Harrington Road/ Beckenham Junction – Crystal Palace Various route options including (below)

_ Tramlink
Tramlink rail lines across South Norwood Country Park

* from Harrington Road and Birkbeck

* Crystal Palace

* from Church Street and Wellesey Road

* South Croydon
Croydon * Purley

* from Reeves Corner and West Croydon
Croydon

* Thornton Heath Pond * Norbury * Streatham
Streatham (connection with Thameslink )_ * Streatham
Streatham Hill _(connection with Southern )_ * Brixton
Brixton _(connection with Victoria line )_

* from Wimbledon _(follows Thameslink to Sutton )_

* Wimbledon Chase * South Merton * Morden
Morden South * St Helier * Sutton Common * West Sutton * Sutton * Mitcham _(intersection at current stop )_ * Tooting _(connection with Thameslink )_ * Tooting Broadway _(connection with Northern line
Northern line and future Crossrail 2 )_

Other extension proposals include Lewisham, Bromley
Bromley town centre, Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill Airport/Village and a local spur/loop to penetrate further into Purley Way retail/industrial park.

Starting in the west, there are two corridors into Sutton town centre. The first, principally between Wimbledon and Sutton, was in view even before Tramlink
Tramlink opened: the trams were delivered with this as "line 4" on their destination blinds.

EXTENSION D / ROUTE 5

Near the summit of line 3, having climbed through the Addington Hills from Lloyd Park.

ROUTE 5 (PROPOSED)

* Beckenham Junction * Beckenham Road * Avenue Road * Birkbeck * Penge Road * Anerley Road * Crystal Palace * Crystal Palace Parade

_Then back to Penge Road_

* Harrington Road * Arena * Woodside * Blackhorse Lane * Addiscombe * Sandilands * Lebanon Road * East Croydon
Croydon ( Trains to Gatwick and Luton ) * George Street * Church Street * Centrale * West Croydon
Croydon * Wellesley Road

_Then to East Croydon
Croydon and back to Beckenham Junction or Crystal Palace_

Tramlink route 5 is the only extension being formally developed, linking Harrington Road with Crystal Palace, and Crystal Palace with Beckenham Junction, both terminating at Crystal Palace Parade. There were three options on how to get to the Parade: on-street, off-street and a mixture of the two. Following recent consultation the off-street option is favoured, with trams running along existing railway as far as Crystal Palace Station , and then round the western edge of Crystal Palace Park (within the park's perimeter) to the bus terminus near the parade. TfL has stated that due to lack of funding the plans for this extension will not be taken forward, but also says that it is committed to including new proposals for extensions to the tram as part of a future bid to Government.

EXTENSION A

The Sutton to Wimbledon proposal utilises the existing line between Wimbledon and Morden
Morden Road, but the cramped terminus inside Wimbledon station is barely adequate for its present function. If another service is to serve Wimbledon a new terminus will be needed. Diverging from the present route, the Sutton line might adopt a segregated alignment within the highway along Morden
Morden Road, serving Morden
Morden station interchange. It would probably use Aberconway Road to reach Morden Hall Road before using the spacious St Helier Avenue as the direct route to St Helier, Rose Hill. St Helier Hospital is an important local traffic objective, despite the need to deviate from the direct route into Sutton via Angel Hill. A number of variants in Sutton Town centre are to be examined to see how the shopping centre, station and office complex can be accessed. The alignment is served by busy bus routes and would give Tramlink
Tramlink direct with the Northern line
Northern line at Morden. A south-to-east curve may also be considered at Morden
Morden Road to permit direct links from St Helier to Mitcham and Croydon.

In July 2013, Mayor Boris Johnson affirmed that there is a reasonable business case for Tramlink
Tramlink to cover the Wimbledon - Sutton corridor. A map has been released showing the planned route. It would leave the existing route just to the east of Morden
Morden Road and head along the A24 and A297 to Rosehill Roundabout, then the B2230 through Sutton town centre, ending at the station. A loop via St Helier Hospital and a possible extension to Royal Marsden Hospital also are shown. Stops would be at Morden
Morden Hall, Ivy Lodge, Boxley Road, Langdon Road, Middleton Road, Rosehill Roundabout, St Helier Hospital (on loop), Rosehill Park, Sutton Tennis Centre, Angel Hill, Sutton Green, High Street North, Crown Road (northbound only), St Nicholas Road (northbound only), Throwley Way (southbound only) and Sutton Station

EXTENSION B

_ This section DOES NOT CITE ANY SOURCES . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2016)_ _(Learn how and when to remove this template message )_

The other Sutton proposal, to Tooting, is more ambitious and contains many more challenges than Sutton/Wimbledon link. Apart from workshop/depot facilities and a curve required to link the line into the existing system, this extension would share no infrastructure with it. If "line 4" is realised ahead of this proposal, the Tooting line would have the St Helier to Sutton section in common. North of St Helier, the alignment is likely to fit across parkland and open space to take in the Willow Lane Industrial Estate before serving Mitcham town centre. There would be some commonality here with the short separate proposal for a spur from Mitcham Junction to Mitcham town centre. From here, the extension would seek to use the pedestrianised town centre before sharing the carriageway with all traffic in London Road south of Figge’s Marsh, with room for segregation beyond the junction with Streatham
Streatham Road. The most difficult leg arises immediately the Merton/Wandsworth boundary is crossed and the most effective way of reaching Tooting Broadway from this point will stir much debate.

NORTH AND SOUTH FROM CROYDON

A tram travelling on Church Street, Croydon
Croydon town centre

To the north and south of Croydon
Croydon are some busy bus corridors, which derive from earlier tram routes. These include the Purley – Croydon – Streatham
Streatham corridor, which is proposed for conversion to tram operation.

To the south of Croydon, the proposal is for the new route to diverge from the central Croydon
Croydon loop and use a highway alignment, probably South End and Brighton Road, to Purley. Beyond Purley, an extension to Coulsdon will be investigated. As this would be close to the M23 motorway , a possibility would be the construction of a park and ride site. Finding a good alignment will be more difficult south of Purley, where Brighton Road is the A23 trunk road .

To the north of Croydon, it is proposed to use a highway alignment based on London Road. To the south of Thornton Heath Pond , the use of a shared carriageway is a possibility. North of this point the road becomes the A23 again, but there are likely to be some opportunities for trambaan type segregation to Norbury and between Norbury and Streatham, although Norbury is a pinch point. The proposal is to terminate the line at Streatham
Streatham railway station , providing an interchange to the extended East London Line
East London Line .

OTHER EXTENSIONS

Work currently commissioned will investigate proposals to extend to Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill , Bromley
Bromley town centre, Lewisham , and Purley Way . If initial examination shows promise, further work could follow to firm up more detailed routings.

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS

Sandilands, November 2016 .

On 7 September 2008, a bus on route 468 travelled through a red traffic signal and collided with tram 2534 in George Street, Croydon. The impact caused the death of a passenger who was reported to have been thrown through the upper front window of the bus. The driver of the bus was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving a year later in December 2009 and was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

On 13 September 2008, tram 2530 collided with a cyclist at Morden Hall Park footpath crossing between the Morden
Morden Road and Phipps Bridge tram stops. The cyclist sustained injuries and later died.

On 5 April 2011, a woman tripped over and was dragged under a moving tram. She was taken to hospital in a serious condition. She is believed to have been running to catch the tram outside East Croydon Station when she tripped and fell.

NOVEMBER 2016 DERAILMENT

Main article: 2016 Croydon
Croydon tram derailment

On 9 November 2016, tram 2551 derailed on a sharp curved junction 180 metres (590 ft) east from the Sandilands tram stop , killing seven people and injuring at least 50 more. The British Transport Police arrested the driver on suspicion of manslaughter . The cause was under investigation, but was widely reported as excessive speed.

ONBOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

The onboard announcements are by BBC News reader (and tram enthusiast) Nicholas Owen . The announcement pattern is as follows: e.g. _This tram is for Wimbledon, The next stop will be Merton Park._