Funding for design stage of rail line project

A major redevelopment of the railway through central Croydon to potentially allow more trains to run on the Brighton Main Line has moved a step closer today with confirmation of government funding for the design stages of the project.Known as the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme, the project is the central element of Network Rail’s Brighton Main Line upgrade programme to achieve major improvements in punctuality between London, Gatwick Airport and the Sussex coast with the potential for more frequent services in the longer term.It would involve construction of a series of new grade-separated junctions north of East Croydon station to remove the ‘Croydon bottleneck’ where several routes to and from central London converge.These new junctions are like motorway flyovers and will replace the existing flat junctions, where trains have to wait at red signals to allow others to pass in front, causing congestion and delays to 300,000 passengers travelling between the South Coast and the capital each day.Major improvements at East Croydon station would also form part of the proposed scheme, expanding the number of platforms from six to eight and providing new concourse areas with better access to the platforms and surrounding areas.Funding from the Department for Transport means Network Rail can now work up detailed designs for the track and station work in the Croydon area; produce an outline business case; and carry out a full public consultation.