South London’s transport network has slipped even further down the pecking order of the capital’s travel priorities, with no new line extensions mentioned in a five-year plan published today.
EXCLUSIVE by JEREMY CLACKSON, transport correspondent
Slow service: it could be at least another four years before replacement trams arrive
It will be the 2030s before Croydon gets sight of the long-awaited replacement trams for south London’s hard-working public transport network.
That has been confirmed by Transport for London, which has today published a draft business plan for the next five years in which £143million has been allocated to replace Croydon’s ageing tram fleet.
But that tram spend is less than one-fifth of the near £1billion budget allocated in the same report for a Tube line extension which does not even have planning permission or funding yet in place.
It is a sign of how far the south London light rail network has slipped down the priorities of TfL and Sir Sadiq Khan that the business plan has not a single mention of any extension of the tram network, whether to Crystal Palace or to Sutton, as had been proposed under previous London Mayors, both Labour and Conservative.
Most of London’s tram passengers today are riding on rolling stock that was built in the last century.
The plan to replace the original trams on routes between Wimbledon, Mitcham, East and West Croydon, New Addington and Beckenham has been going on for so long that TfL is now being forced to consider an overhaul of its complete fleet, including the additional dozen Stadler Variobahns which were only introduced into service from 2012.
Initial planning for replacement trams began in 2019, but the covid pandemic, and the financial shockwaves it caused TfL and the national economy, saw that all put on hold.
All change: some of the £143m in TfL’s business plan is for upgrades to the network and Therapia Lane depot
It wasn’t until last year that TfL was finally able to recommence its procurement process, which earmarked £50million to replace its original fleet of Bombardier-built trams.
The Croydon tram network opened in 2000, and the Bomardier trams have already passed their expected service period, with increasingly frequent withdrawals of vehicles for urgent repairs and upgrades.
Of the original 24 Bombardier CR4000 trams that came into service 26 years ago, two are not in operation. This includes 2551, the tram involved in the Sandilands derailment in 2016, when seven passengers died.
Such have been the delays in the procurement process for the replacements that TfL is now looking at replacing all 35 serviceable trams – Bombardier and Stadler Variobahns – rather than have to adapt and adopt its depot and network to fit different tram makes. Some of the money in the tram replacement budget is earmarked for upgrades to the network, and for adapting Therapia Lane’s depot to the new rolling stock.
And while the tram replacement budget looks like a chunky sum of money, the bulk of it – £48million in 2028-2029 and £50million in 2029-2030 – won’t be available until towards the end of the TfL five-year plan.
Meanwhile, in other parts of London, projects such as the Docklands Light Railway train replacement (total spend: £540million) and the Bakerloo line upgrade (£991million) have been allocated more urgency and far larger budgets, with the DLR line, which runs between The City and Docklands, already being actioned.
Ready to go: Canary Wharf has already had new DLR trains introduced
The draft five-year business plan is due to be considered by the TfL board on February 4.
City Hall today said that the plan sets out “a vision for London that encourages public transport, active travel and supports new homes and jobs, building on progress made over the last decade”.
TfL says that its bus network is to be “reimagined”, which means more cuts to more routes in central London “to align with changing levels of demand in those areas”, while bus services will be expanded in outer London.
TfL says: “An important part of this transformational work will be developing detailed proposals for a new publicly owned bus company for London – which could further support innovation, efficiency and accountability, while supporting the needs of passengers and the workforce.” Which is Sadiq Khan taking the lead of Labour’s Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.
They are also looking at an “expansion of Superloop routes”, more electric buses (hopefully more reliable ones than the model used for the 358 route that serves Crystal Palace), and “more bus priority”, meaning more bus lanes.
Five-year plan: TfL’s business plan, published today
They are even looking at “better bus shelters”. Let’s just hope that they don’t let Mayor Jason Perry’s incompetent Croydon Council get involved with their procurement.
The business plan also flags up a new emphasis on housebuilding schemes on TfL-owned land, through its Places for London wholly owned property company.
Again, probably best not to allow Jo Negrini or anyone that was connected to Brick by Brick in Croydon have any involvement with those plans…
The Croydon trams are rendered a mere footnote ton TfL’s summary of its report.
“The plan sets out sustained investment in London’s vital transport infrastructure, which will improve the customer experience for millions of Londoners and visitors. This includes the completion of new signalling to ensure better journeys on the District and Metropolitan lines, progressing plans for a new Bakerloo line fleet, new train fleets on the Piccadilly line and DLR, additional trains on the Elizabeth line, the complete refurbishment of the Central line fleet and the replacement of TfL’s ageing tram fleet.”
A cunning plan: TfL’s draft report by numbers
As things stand, TfL’s shopping list for its new trams includes improved accessibility, air conditioning, real-time travel information and onboard charging points.
But until those vehicles are commissioned and built, passengers are going to have to contend with their old trams, while engineers at Therapia Lane can look forward to pelnty of overtime to keep the network running.
In a statement to Inside Croydon, a TfL spokesperson said: “We have set out funding for new trams in our draft business plan, which will allow us to appoint a contractor to start to build the replacement fleet, with the aim of introducing the trams in the early 2030s.
“In the meantime, we continue to work hard to maintain the existing fleet to ensure we provide customers with the best service possible.”
Read more: What might have been: how Croydon Trams should have grown
Read more: TfL spending £3.2m to replace Croydon bus shelters by March
Read more: Croydon network to get 24 trams in deal worth at least £50m
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