Special thanks to Simon Smiler of citytransport.info for providing some newer photos and details.

Much of the private ROWs used by Tramlink make use of former railway ROWs. There are a number of single-track sections of the system and one short section of gauntlet (or interlaced) track, which demonstrates a possible cost savings in the initial capital expenditure.

This system, which began operation in May 2000, is fully accessible using LRVs that have a 76% low floor space.

Tram stops are all about 32 metres long with platforms at least 2 metres wide.
All are fully accessible, with CCTV and a Passenger Help Point, a Passenger Information Display (displaying the estimated time of the next two arrivals, or other emergency information), a ticket machine, and a notice board such as the one pictured above.

This system is a good example of how LRT can fill the transit needs of an area that does not warrant the expense of a full subway system.

It is also a nice example of the flexibility of LRT in that it can move from rapid operation over private rights of way to mixed traffic implementations.

Fare collection:
London's fare system can seem quite confusing at first, as each mode has its own fare plus there are fare zones. This is somewhat simplified with the use of Travelcards valid for the zones needed, or with the use of the Oyster Card, a smart card that simplifies transit fares and admissions to some attractions around town.

Tram stops are unmanned but have fare vending machines.

Single fare for zones 1-6

A single fare is £2.00 (about C$4.00), and tickets may be used for onward travel on a connecting bus service.

When using an Oyster Card, the fare is only £1.00 (about C$2.00). Multiple journies within an operating day (from/to 4:30 am) using an Oyster Card will cap at £3.30.

Bus passes are also accepted as tram fares. One-day bus passes cost £3.80 (about C$7.60), while weekly cost £13.00 (about C$26.00).

Monthly bus passes are available for £50.00 (about C$100), as well as annual for £520 (about C$1040).

Ticket vending machine

As all three routes interline through Croydon, the first description will be for route 3, followed by the branches for the other routes:

Wimbledon is a station with one southern terminus of the District Line of the Underground and National Rail connections. Trams use the east end of track 10 on a shared platform with National Rail services. As trams are low floor vehicles, their track is raised above normal railway track height, as can be seen in the photo to the right where the railway track at the west end meets the tram track.

Tram service is a request-stop service, meaning that trams only make stops where necessary if a passenger is waiting at a stop or if an on-board passenger presses a stop request button.

New livery can be seen on this route 3 tram near Dundonald Road stop passing a level crossing protected by traffic signals.

The single track exits the east end of Wimbledon through an underpass where it splits into two tracks almost half way to Dundonald Road. The line operates over a private ROW here, formerly a British Rail line that closed in the 1990s.

Between Morden Road and Phipps Bridge, the line is single track. This occasionally requires a tram to wait at a stop until the tram in the other direction arrives.

Just west of Mitcham, there is a section of gauntlet track, also known as interlaced track. Effectively, this section must be treated as a single track section where trams in one direction must wait for those in the other. Unlike a true single track section where the tracks converge at each end with a full switch, gauntlet track only has their inside rails crossing. Movement on each track interferes with the other, but does not actually connect with it.

Route 3 westbound tram to Wimbledon departing Reeves Corner

Between Mitcham and Mitcham Junction, there is a true single-track section. Mitcham Junction is served by National Rail services, where connections may be made. Another single-track section is between Mitcham Junction and Beddington Lane. Just east of Beddington lane, the line has its first level crossing with road traffic.

Road traffic is controlled with traffic lights, while tram traffic is controlled with a position signal light displaying a vertical bar when it is clear to proceed, and a horizontal bar when the tram should stop.

The same type of signal is used to indicate the position of a track switch with diagonal bars.

The final single-track section west of Croydon is between Wandle Park and Reeves Corner. Reeves corner is the start of mixed traffic operation. The system map above shows Reeves Corner as being on the westbound branch of the loop through Croydon, but it is located just west of where trams branch apart and serves both directions.

Just east of Reeves Corner, eastbound trams branch to run a few blocks to the north, joining the west end loop used by route 1 and route 2 trams to turn back to the east. The westbound journey over this split section is described below.

Route 3 tram about to leave East Croydon for Wimbleton as a route 2 waits to enter

Much of this section has the tram track in a lane that is isolated from other road traffic. This lane is at the curb, so the trams open on the left side at West Croydon and at Wellesley Road.

As the two directions converge just west of the East Croydon stop, the trams follow lanes that are isolated from the rest of traffic. The East Croydon stop has three tram tracks, with the eastbound track on the north side where the National Rail station is and a second platform is between the middle track and the westbound track on the south side. The middle track is available for turning back a tram from either direction.

Shortly after deparating East Croydon, the tram is back in mixed traffic on Addiscombe Road.

Lebanon Road has a stop that is staggered - the westbound stop is half a block west of where the eastbound stop is. There are bus stops at this location, but bus bays are provided opposite the tram stops - that is, the westbound bus bay is opposite the eastbound tram stop and the eastbound bus bay is opposite the westbound tram stop. Just west of Sandilands, Addiscombe Road shifts to the north side of the tram line and the trams are left in their own ROW.

This eastbouond tram is passing between the westbound platform and an eastbound bus bay at Lebanon Road.

Sandilands is the last stop that route 3 shares with routes 1 and 2. East of the stop, the line passes a level crossing with Woodbury Close and and decends slightly towards a former railway right of way.

Here both branches make 90 degree turns (see satellite image below), with routes 1 and 2 turning left and route turning right.

After the turn, route 2 passes through the Park Hill tunnel of the former Woodside and South Croydon Railway. The tunnel is just over 500 metres in length.

After the tunnel, the line travels about another 800 metres before reaching the Lloyd Park stop. At this stop, the line makes a greater-than 90 degree turn to the east and parallels Coombe Road on the north side. The next stop is Coombe Lane, about 1.8 km east of Lloyd Park.

Coombe Road is now Coombe Lane and the line meets it with a level crossing east of the Coombe Lane stop. Here it parallels it on the south side as the road becomes Gravel Hill. There is about another 2 km until the next stop at Gravel Hill.

After the Grave Hill stop, the line crosses Grave Hill and parallells it on the north side for a short distance before turning left on the west side of Kent Gate Way where it crosses its northbound lanes at an acute angle to continue on its median for several hundred metres.

There it crosses the southbound lanes of Kent Gate Way at an acute angle and arrives at Addington Village stop, less than one kilometre from Grave Hill. This stop is a major hub for bus routes.

The line continues and curves to the southeast to parallel Lodge Lane. In just under one kilometre, the line arrives at Fieldway. Continuing to parallel Lodge Lane for just over a half kilometre, the line reaches King Henry's Drive. The line continues in a very wide median for less than another half kilometre to New Addington. Just before reaching New Addington, the tracks converge into a short single track section (less than 100 metres in length) before splitting into the two tracks at New Addington.

Route 2 after departing Church Street

On the return trip after departing East Croydon, westbound trams continue straight along George Street where a stop is on the right side. Continuing on George Street, a slight jog along Crown Hill and then the street becomes Church Street.

Church is a narrow, two lane street that winds down a grade before coming to the Church street stop. Other traffic must make a left turn at Old Palace Road while trams continue on the next block where the stop is.

West of the Church Street stop, route 1 and 2 trams that turn back east diverge slightly from the straight line that route 3 trams take, but their route continues straight for a block gauntlet style (see photo at right).

Here is a description of the trip on routes 1 and 2 east from Sandilands:

East of Sandilands, where route 3 branches to the right, routes 1 and 2 make a left turn and proceed through an underpass below the intersection of Addiscombe and Ashburton Roads. About 600 metres up this line is the Addiscombe stop, located at Lower Addiscombe Road.

About another 750 metres away is the Blackhorse Lane stop, followed by Woodside that is just under a half kilometre further. The final stop for both routes 1 and 2 is about another 750 metres away at Arena.

Just east of Arena, route 1 trams continue straight through the junction to Elmers End, about a kilometre away. The ROW from Woodside to Elmers end is a former British Rail ROW. A few hundred metres west of Elmers End, a National Rail line parallels the tram ROW into a station at Elmers End.

On parts of the system built on the ROW of former railway lines, former station platforms were demolished and rebuilt to Tramlink standards for low level boarding. The exceptions to this are Wimbledon and Elmers End, where track level was raised to make use of a platform that is shared with other rail services.

A westbound route 2 approaches from the curve through the junction just east of Arena

Birkbeck as an eastbound tram arrives

East of Arena, route 2 trams curve to the northwest at the junction and proceed a little over a kilometre of winding ROW to Harrington Road.

About 200 metres beyond Harrington Road, the line converges to a single track before making a greater than 90 degree turn to the right to head to the northeast where it is joined by a National Rail line that will parallel the tram linen all the way to Beckenham Junction. The line continues as a single track for about a half than a kilometre to the Birkbeck stop that is also a stop for the rail line.

The single track continues to Avenue Road about another half kilometre away where it splits to two tracks. Past Avenue Road, the line converges back to a single track all the way to Beckenham Junction where it splits again to two tracks.

The Beckenham Road stop is about a half kilometre from Avenue Road, and the Beckenham Junction stop more than another kilometre away.

While the line from Avenue Road to Beckenham Junction is single track, there is a siding east of Beckenham Road stop.

Route 2 tram at Beckenham Junction

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This page last updated September 01, 2009