The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, will visit Croydon today (15 February) to inspect the first of six new trams that are set to join the London Tramlink fleet. The first tram is expected to be in service by the end of the month, and all six by the summer.
A £16.3million investment in the new trams is part of a wider regeneration of Croydon that is being supported by the Mayor including a £23million investment from the Mayor’s Fund, which is being used to help return Croydon to its former glory following the devastation of its town centre in last year’s riots.
More than 28 million passengers a year now use the tram network, a massive 45 per cent increase since it opened in 2000. The new trams will help reduce congestion on the busiest parts of the network, approaching East Croydon and West Croydon stations.
Once all six trams are in service, passengers will benefit from a new direct service between Therapia Lane and Elmers End, where currently they would need to change, and up to four extra trams an hour. This will mean ten trams an hour at peak times for passengers travelling on the Elmers End route.
When on board passengers will find the new trams are air-conditioned, more spacious and equipped with better accessibility and safety features. The introduction of the new trams has also led to the creation of 20 new jobs at London Tramlink.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “My focus in Croydon is on delivering the long term improvements that will support jobs and help make it a better, more prosperous place to live, work and invest in. Trams are the cornerstone of the local economy and the superb new additions to our fleet will help deliver the better and more frequent services that local people deserve.”
The Mayor will see the first of the new trams being put through its paces as it is tested at the Therapia Lane Tramlink depot.
Mike Fisher, the leader of Croydon Council, which put £3m into the £16.3m deal to buy the new trams, said: “This is a major boost for a transport network that is the envy of London and the rest of the country and it comes during a period where there is tremendous pressure on public finances, which demonstrates our commitment to this project.
“The tram network has proved to be a huge hit with the many thousands who use it on a daily basis. It’s fair to say that, at peak times during the day, it has become a victim of its success. These new trams will ease that burden, providing an even better service for the network’s customers and help ensure its continued success into the future.”
In addition to the new trams, improvements to the Wimbledon branch are also expected by the end of the year. A second line of track between Mitcham and Mitcham Junction will enable trams to travel in each direction at the same time, and a new platform at Wimbledon will increase turnaround times and provide a service of one tram every six minutes.
The Mayor is currently conducting a programme of record investment across the capital’s transport infrastructure to increase reliability, capacity and frequency and provide for the future needs of the city.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The introduction of the new trams is creating twenty additional jobs in London Tramlink. These include drivers and maintenance staff
- The contract to supply the six new trams was worth £16.3m with a £3m contribution from Croydon council. The supplier was Swiss manufacturer Stadler and the Variobahn vehicles were built in its German factory
- The Stadler trams are 2.5m longer, are air-conditioned, and are 100% low floor which provides better accessibility for passengers. They are each made up of 5 sections with wide gangways between each section giving them a more manoeuvrable and spacious interior. Their capacity is 84 seats (122 standing at 4 pax per sq m)
- The six new trams will enable a direct service between Therapia Lane and Elmers End where passengers currently have to change to make this journey. The Elmers End service will increase from 5 trams per hour in the off peak and six in the peak to 9 trams per hour in the off peak and 10 trams per hour in the peak.
- Double tracking between Mitcham and Mitcham Junction on the Wimbledon branch will enable an increase in capacity on the branch as trams currently have to wait for one another to clear this one directional stretch of line.