West Croydon station
| West Croydon | |
|---|---|
| Location | Croydon |
| Local authority | London Borough of Croydon |
| Managed by | Southern |
| Station code(s) | WCY |
| Number of platforms | 3 (1, 3 and 4) |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
 London transport portal | |
West Croydon station is a key transport interchange for National Rail, Tramlink and London Buses services in south London. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5. The East London line is planned to be extended to the station.
Facilities
The entrance to West Croydon railway station is on London Road, a short distance from the town's main shopping area. Rail services through West Croydon connect London Victoria, London Bridge and South London stations with Sutton and from there to stations in the west of Surrey and parts of West Sussex.
A short distance from the railway station entrance is Station Road, where West Croydon bus station and tram stop are located. The tram stop is next to the rail platforms and there are long-term plans, as part of an overall development, to have better connections between the two. All three Tramlink routes use West Croydon, which is on the unidirectional loop around central Croydon.
The bus station is a hub for London Bus services to the outskirts of Croydon and surrounding areas, as well as the X26 bus to Heathrow Airport and services to Surrey.
Some of the rail capacity is expected to be given over to the southern extension of the East London Line, via Norwood Junction, with West Croydon as the terminus.
History
The site of the station was originally (1809 to 1836) the terminal basin of the Croydon Canal. The canal was drained and became part of the route of the London & Croydon Railway, with the West Croydon line opening on June 5 1839. In 1845 the L&C laid down the atmospheric system of propulsion; it worked for about a year but was not successful.
The canal basin was also served by a short private branch from the terminus of the Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) at Pitlake; and from 1855 the station served as the terminus of the West Croydon to Wimbledon line which followed much of the route of the SIR. This line itself closed in 1997 to be replaced by the current Croydon Tramlink. Platform 2, the terminal bay for the Wimbledon line, is now trackless.
A sad event occurred here in 1912 when the brilliant black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), resident of Croydon, collapsed at the station from overwork and pneumonia, dying a few days later.
Services
All trains are provided by Southern. It should be noted that West Croydon is Croydon's second station, mainly used by suburban services, while East Croydon handles express train services both to London, and also to the South Coast.
The Monday-Saturday off-peak service includes (but is not limited to):
- 6 trains per hour (tph) to London Victoria, of which:
- 4 call at Selhurst, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Streatham Common, Balham, Wandsworth Common, Clapham Junction and Battersea Park. These journeys take 29 minutes.
- 2 call at Norwood Junction, Crystal Palace, Gipsy Hill, West Norwood, Streatham Hill, Balham, Wandsworth Common, Clapham Junction and Battersea Park. These journeys take 36 minutes.
- 4 tph to London Bridge, of which:
- 2 call at Norwood Junction, Anerley, Penge West, Sydenham, Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Brockley and New Cross Gate. These journeys take 29 minutes.
- 2 call at Selhurst, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Streatham Common, Streatham, Tulse Hill, North Dulwich, East Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Queens Road Peckham and South Bermondsey. These journeys take 38 minutes.
- 4 tph to Sutton (Surrey), calling at Waddon, Wallington and Carshalton Beeches. These journeys take 12 minutes.
- 1 tph to Epsom Downs, calling at Waddon, Wallington, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton (Surrey), Belmont and Banstead. This journey takes 23 minutes.
- 1 tph to Epsom, calling at Waddon, Wallington, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton (Surrey), Cheam and Ewell East. This journey takes 23 minutes.
External links
- West Croydon tram stop on The Trams website
- Train times and station information for West Croydon station from National Rail
