It’s not only the ageing rolling stock that requires replacement on south London’s tram network.

Transport for London is to close half of the network, from East Croydon to Beckenham Junction, and all points in between, including New Addington, for two weeks next month.

TfL says that the closure has been planned to coincide with school half-term – between Wednesday February 11 and Wednesday February 25. Most school half-term breaks last only five days.

Regular users of the trams will be accustomed to the withdrawal of service during school holidays, which has become a frustratingly regular occurrence four or five times a year.

For this major and lengthy closure, bus replacement services will operate between East Croydon and Beckenham Junction, and from East Croydon to New Addington.

The works are “to allow essential track renewal works to take place at Sandilands junction, and between Gravel Hill and Addington Village”, TfL says.

“TfL recognises the disruption that this closure may cause, and are sorry for any inconvenience. The track renewal works will help to improve the reliability and performance of the tramway, reducing the risk of track defects and unplanned service disruption.”

Other works, including track, power and asset renewals, will also be undertaken at several locations during the closure.

The following service changes will apply during the works:

• No trams will operate between East Croydon and Beckenham Junction, Elmers End or New Addington
• Replacement bus services will operate between East Croydon and Beckenham Junction via Elmers End, and between East Croydon and New Addington. Each service will operate every 10-15 minutes
• The replacement buses will serve all tram stops except Lebanon Road, which is about a 450-metre walk from Sandilands
• Trams will continue to operate normally between East Croydon and Wimbledon

Passengers “should use the journey planning tools or the TfL Go app to plan their journeys, which will be updated ahead of the closure”, TfL said.

Read more: TfL report confirms decade delay over Croydon’s new trams

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