Tramlink

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Tramlink (initially known as Croydon Tramlink) is a public transport tramway in south London, operated by FirstGroup on behalf of Transport for London. Tramlink meets National Rail lines at a number of stations, but because it runs in an area relatively under-served by the London Underground (one of the reasons for its creation), its only interchange with the Underground is at Wimbledon. The system, centred on Croydon, began operation in May 2000.

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Trams

Tramlink is operated with articulated low-floor Flexity Swift CR-4000 trams built by Bombardier Transportation in Vienna. The fleet is currently 24 strong, with one more planned. The trams are based on the very similar class K-4000 built for use on Köln's low-platform routes.

The CR-4000 trams are six-axle single-articulated double-ended cars with four doors on each side. The low floor stretches between both the outer doors through the articulation (which rests on an unpowered bogie/truck). Between the outer door and each car end is a higher-floor section, accessed up a step and situated over the car's two power bogies. The low-floor section is 400 mm above rail-level, sloping down to 350 mm in the doorways, a height which matches the platforms at tram stops, and each car has two wheelchair positions.

Each car is 30.1 m long and 2.65 m wide and has 70 seats and a total capacity of just over 200 passengers. They operate from an overhead power supply at 750 volts DC, and have a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). Each tram has an integral traction braking controller with deadman's trigger. While stationary, the tram is immobilised until the drivers hand is on the controller, if the drivers hand is removed from the controller while moving, an alarm sounds immediately and the drivers had must return to the controller to disarm it, if a three second coutdown passes and it is not disarmed, the track brakes are applied. Image:Croydon tramlink.PNG The trams are numbered beginning at 2530, continuing from the highest-numbered tram on London's former network.

The opening of the Centrale tram stop adds time to the timetable, therefore needing an extra tram. Currently Tramlink uses one of the four spare trams but TfL say they will need to purchase an extra tram to sustain punctuality.

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Routes

Image:TramlinkMap.svg Tramlink is not shown on a standard tube map but is shown on the "London connections" map. Tramlink consists of a mixture of street track shared with other vehicles, dedicated track within the street, and off-street track. The off-street track includes new rights-of-way, former railway lines, and one section which shares the right-of-way (though not track) with an third-rail electrified Network Rail line.

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Stops

All stops on Tramlink consist of low platforms at a height of 350mm above rail level, which matches the tram floor level at the doors. Stops are unstaffed and have automated ticket machines for ticket sales. In general, access between the platforms involves crossing the tracks by pedestrian level crossing. There are 39 tram stops - most are 32.2m long and all are 350mm above rail level. They line up exactly and closely with the doors and are all wider than 2m. This allows for wheelchairs, prams, pushchairs and the elderly to board the tram easily with no steps. In street sections, the pavement is integrated with the tramstop.

Tramlink uses some former Railtrack stations (Wimbledon - West Croydon and Elmers End - Addiscombe lines were taken over). The existing platforms have all been demolished and rebuilt to meet modern standards. The only exceptions are at Elmers End and Wimbledon where the track level is raised to meet the higher platforms - this is to enable cross-platform interchange.

38 stops opened as part of the phased introduction of tram services in May 2000. Centrale Stop, in Tamworth Road opened on 10th December 2005 following a major fiasco over the finances.

All stops have disabled access, raised paving, CCTV, a Passenger Help Point, a Passenger Information Display, litter bins, a ticket machine, a noticeboard, lampposts and most have seats and a shelter.

All stops are equipped with an electronic Passenger Information Display (PID) or Next Tram Indicator. These display the destination and expected arrival times of the next two trams. They can also display any message the controllers want to display. This could be information on delays or even direct instructions to vandals to stop placing objects on the track!


The following routes are described in detail from east to west.

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Route 1 (yellow)

Template:Splitsection Image:Croydon tram.jpg

Then back to Wandle Park

Then to East Croydon and back to Elmers End

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Route 2 (red)

Template:Splitsection Image:Tramlink-Beckenham Jn.jpg

Then to East Croydon and back to Beckenham Junction

On Sundays, route 2 services are extended to Wimbledon via route 1 to give shorter headways on the Wimbledon line.

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Route 3 (green)

Template:Splitsection Image:Tramlink East Croydon.jpg

Then to East Croydon and back to New Addington

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Former lines re-used

From Elmers End to Woodside, Tramlink routes 1 and 2 follow the former British Rail branch line from Elmers End towards a now-demolished Addiscombe station (500 metres west from the present tram station of the same name). At Woodside, the old station buildings are still visible but disused, and the original platforms have been demolished to make way for accessible low platforms, in common with the rest of the system (except Elmers End, and Wimbledon, which continue to use their old respective branch line platforms). From Woodside to Sandilands (Routes 1 & 2) and from Sandilands almost to Lloyd Park (Route 3), Tramlink follows the route of the Woodside and South Croydon Railway. This includes the Park Hill (or Sandilands) tunnels. Route 2 also runs parallel to the Crystal Palace to Beckenham loop line of the Southern network between Birkbeck and Beckenham Junction, the National Rail track having been singled.

From near Phipps Bridge to near Reeves Corner, the route follows that of the Surrey Iron Railway. This gives Tramlink a claim to be, in a sense, one of the world's oldest tramways! Template:Mmukpc prim beside Mitcham tram stop had its name long before Tramlink. A partial obstruction of the route near this point has necessitated the use of gauntlet track.

A Victorian footbridge beside Waddon New Road had to be demolished to make way for the flyover that takes Tramlink over the West Croydon to Sutton railway line. The footbridge has been re-erected at Corfe Castle on the Swanage Railway.

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Projected extensions

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy for London states that extensions to the Tramlink 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 technology might be cost effective. Proposal 4D7 says that: “The Mayor will explore the potential for extending the Tramlink network where doing so could help meet the objectives of the Transport Strategy cost effectively” and seeks initial views on the viability of a number of extensions by summer 2002.


An initial review of potential Tramlink extensions has been prepared and discussed with interested parties. TfL now wishes to carry out initial development and evaluation work on the following routes;

Sutton Town Centre/Station – St Helier – Morden – Morden Road – Wimbledon and also Croydon. (including via St Helier Hospital and direct routes and routing variants within Sutton Town Centre) Sutton – St Helier – Mitcham – Tooting (includes routing variants via Mitcham Junction and direct) Mitcham Junction – Mitcham town centre Central Croydon – Purley/Purley Station - Coulsdon) Central Croydon – Thornton Heath – Norbury - Streatham Harrington Road/Beckenham Junction – Crystal Palace (various route options)


Furthermore, there will at this stage be a need to give preliminary examination to other extension proposals. These include suggestions to connect Tramlink to Lewisham, Bromley town centre, Biggin Hill Airport/Village and examining a local spur/loop to penetrate further into Purley Way retail/industrial park.

Starting in the west, there are two corridors that suggest bringing Tramlink to Sutton town centre. The first of these, proposing operations principally between Wimbledon and Sutton has been in view even before Tramlink opened. Indeed, presumptuously, the trams were delivered with destination displays for this as “line 4” already included on blind sets.

Sutton - Wimbledon This proposal utilises the existing Tramlink infrastructure between Wimbledon and Morden Road stop. The cramped tram terminus inside Wimbledon station is barely adequate for its present function. If another service is to arrive at Wimbledon a new terminus will need to be created. Diverging from the present Croydon route the Sutton line might adopt segregated alignment within the highway along Morden Road, serving 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 that Tramlink ought to serve, 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 presently served by a number of busy bus services and if built, would give Tramlink patrons direct interchange with the Northern Line at Morden. A south to east curve may also be considered at Morden Road to permit direct operations that link St Helier to Mitcham and Croydon.

Sutton – Tooting and Mitcham Junction - Mitcham The other Sutton proposal – to Tooting - is more ambitious and undoubtedly 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 the existing Tramlink. Were “line 4” to be realised ahead of this proposal, the Tooting line would of course then 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. Some commonality would be enjoyed here with the short separate proposal to provide a spur from Mitcham Junction to Mitcham town centre. From here, the Tooting projection would seek to use the pedestrianised town centre section before sharing carriageway with all traffic in the part of London Road south of Figge’s Marsh, with room for segregation beyond the junction with 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 These are currently extremely busy bus corridors. Not surprisingly, the first generation trams were the mainstay on the Purley – Croydon – Streatham section and former tram lines 16 and 18, once amongst the most successful in London, ran beyond here to Brixton and central London. In this exercise, the corridor is to be reviewed as two separate extensions.

The proposal envisages Tramlink diverging from its central Croydon loop to pick up highway alignment probably using South End, and Brighton Road to Purley. Investigations will reveal whether the mass passenger movement achieved today by buses is more effectively catered for by a Tramlink extension. Beyond Purley, work will look at Coulsdon as a southern terminus within striking distance of the end of the M23. An important consideration here will be the possibility of a Park and Ride site that might funnel current car traffic into Croydon from the south onto public transport. Alignment difficulties will be more critical south of Purley, where Brighton Road carries the A23 trunk road traffic.

North of Croydon, London Road is again the obvious host for a Tramlink extension. South of Thornton Heath Pond, the shared carriageway is a possibility. North of this point, the road becomes the A23 again, but fortunately there are likely to be some opportunities for trambaan type segregation to Norbury and between Norbury and Streatham, although Norbury itself is a pinch point. Streatham Station will increase in importance as an interchange with the East London Line extension and this is envisaged as the northern terminus of the Tramlink extension. Whilst there is considerable merit in looking beyond Streatham, the challenge of the Streatham Library pinchpoint is perhaps one for a later date.

Other Ideas Work currently commissioned will also check out proposals to extend Tramlink to Biggin Hill, Bromley town centre, Lewisham, and Purley Way. If initial examination shows promise, further work could follow to firm up more detailed routings for these proposals.


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External links

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Local rail transport in the United Kingdom
Metros : Docklands Light Railway (East London) | Glasgow Subway | London Underground | Tyne and Wear Metro  
 Tramways : Blackpool | Manchester | Midland Metro (West Midlands) | Nottingham | Sheffield | Tramlink (South London)
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