Mayor Jason Perry has written to Seb Dance, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, seeking City Hall’s backing for renewed work to tackle the rail bottleneck around East Croydon and Windmill Bridge Junction.
The Mayor has asked for a meeting to discuss how City Hall and Transport for London can help make the case for government action. His letter follows an approach to the Transport Secretary, calling for a fresh assessment of the investment needed and the options available.
The bottleneck limits capacity and spreads disruption across a network connecting the south coast and Gatwick Airport with London and destinations including Luton, Bedford, Peterborough and Cambridge. For Croydon passengers, addressing it would mean a more resilient railway and more reliable journeys.
With major investment planned along the route, including Gatwick Airport’s £2.2 billion Northern Runway expansion, the Mayor argues that rail capacity must keep pace with the economic opportunities it serves. Previous modelling suggested that resolving the Croydon bottleneck could unlock approximately £5.1 billion in economic value over 20 years.
In his letter, Mayor Perry said:
“These opportunities cannot be fully realised if the public infrastructure connecting them remains constrained. Any serious plan to support sustainable growth, station-led development and greater use of public transport must address the capacity and resilience of the railway serving those ambitions.”
The Mayor is asking for the original Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme to be reassessed alongside phased improvements and alternative options. This would include updated passenger forecasts, costs and economic modelling, protection for the land needed, and a credible investment proposal for the 2027 Spending Review.
He has asked Seb Dance to support reopening the work, secure City Hall and TfL’s involvement, and help make the case to ministers for treating the bottleneck as nationally significant economic infrastructure.
Mayor Perry wrote:
“Croydon Council is ready to work constructively with City Hall, TfL, the Government, Network Rail and authorities across the corridor to identify an affordable and deliverable solution.”
The Mayor’s letter is reproduced below for information.
Seb Dance
Deputy Mayor for Transport
Deputy Chair, Transport for London
Dear Seb,
Thameslink Growth Corridor and the Croydon rail bottleneck
I am writing following my letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, a copy of which I have enclosed, asking the Government to reopen its examination of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme and commission a refreshed assessment of the investment needed to address the bottleneck around East Croydon and Windmill Bridge Junction.
I would welcome your support for this work and the opportunity to meet you to discuss how City Hall and Transport for London can help us build the case for action.
This is far more than a local transport scheme, the Croydon bottleneck sits within the most congested part of the national rail network and affects services connecting Brighton and Gatwick with central London, Luton, Bedford, Peterborough and Cambridge.
Around 18% of national passenger journeys take place on the Govia Thameslink Railway network. East Croydon already handles more trains each day than all the intercity operators serving Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross combined. The Brighton Main Line is expected to reach full capacity by 2030, whilst passenger numbers are projected to increase by 50% by 2045.
The economic opportunities along this corridor are considerable. Gatwick Airport’s £2.2 billion Northern Runway expansion is expected to support around 14,000 jobs and contribute an additional £1 billion a year to the economy. Every rail service between London and Gatwick passes through East Croydon.
Further growth is planned at Luton Airport and in Bedfordshire, alongside significant housing and regeneration ambitions across London and the wider corridor. Previous modelling suggested that resolving the Croydon bottleneck could unlock approximately £5.1 billion in economic value over 20 years.
These opportunities cannot be fully realised if the public infrastructure connecting them remains constrained. Any serious plan to support sustainable growth, station-led development and greater use of public transport must address the capacity and resilience of the railway serving those ambitions.
I recognise that the original Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme was estimated to cost approximately £2.9 billion, take more than ten years to deliver and cause substantial disruption. I am not asking the Government to take that scheme off the shelf unchanged.
I am asking for the problem, the evidence and the available solutions to be properly re-examined. That should include updated demand and economic modelling, consideration of the full scheme alongside phased or alternative interventions, continued protection of the land required and the development of a credible proposition for the 2027 Spending Review.
City Hall and TfL have an important strategic interest in this work. Resolving the bottleneck would improve access to London, strengthen the resilience of the wider transport network, support housing and regeneration, and unlock private investment across the capital and the South East.
I would therefore be grateful if you would consider:
- supporting the call for the Government and Network Rail to reopen the examination of the Croydon bottleneck;
- ensuring that City Hall and TfL participate in any renewed programme of work or joint working group;
- helping make the case to ministers that this should be assessed as nationally significant economic infrastructure; and
- meeting me to discuss how we can work together to take the proposal forward.
Croydon Council is ready to work constructively with City Hall, TfL, the Government, Network Rail and authorities across the corridor to identify an affordable and deliverable solution.
I hope we can count on your support and look forward to meeting you.
Yours sincerely,
Mayor Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
