20 years of Tramlink

Today marks 20 years of Tramlink. I had planned to spend the bank holiday weekend travelling around south London when I penciled in key transport related dates in 2020 back in January . If there is one transport related activity I want to do when it is safe and practical to do so, travelling on the trams is high up there. Similar to a challenge I completed in February on the DLR, I would like to try and visit all Tramlink stops as quickly as possible.

The Tramlink network is comprised of 39 stations that are all located in south London. After timetable restructuring in February 2018 there are now 3 routes that catered for over 28 million passengers in 2018/19. The 28km of track serves Croydon and surrounding areas in south London including Wimbledon, Bromley and Sutton.

Route 3 between Croydon and New Addington opened on 10 May 2000 and became the first tram system in London since 1952. Route 2 from Croydon to Beckenham Junction opened on 23 May 2000 and route 1 from Elmers End to Wimbledon opened on 30 May 2000. In June 2012 route 4 opened from Elmers End to Therapia Lane, and onto Wimbledon in 2016. Most of the Tramlink network is comprised of former National Rail lines including the Addiscombe line, Crystal Palace line and West Croydon to Wimbledon line. Part of the former West Croydon to Wimbledon line that is now on the Tramlink network opened in 1802 as the Surrey Iron Railway, a horse-drawn railway that was one of the first public railways in the world.


Transport for London purchased Tramlink in 2008. Prior to this, the network was known as Croydon Tramlink and served by trams with a red and white livery. TfL introduced the green, blue and white livery we know today and the Tramlink first appeared on the tube map in June 2016. BBC News reader, and Tram enthusiast, Nicholas Owen is the voice for the onboard announcements.

With just 62,000 passengers in 2017 Avenue Road is the least used tram stop on the Tramlink network. The next 3 least used stops on the network, like Avenue Road, are located on the route to Beckenham Junction. The Tramlink is the fourth busiest light rail network in the UK behind the DLR, Metrolink in Manchester and the Tyne & Wear Metro. At Addington Village tram stop the buses from the nearby bus station have been scheduled to complement the tram services.

Have you ridden the Tramlink? What is your favourite aspect? Please comment below or join the conversation on Twitter or Instagram where I am @TubespottingDan At the start of this post I said I would like to attempt visiting all 39 stops as quickly as possible. According to explorerticket.co.uk the current fastest time is 1 hour, 35 minutes and 15 seconds.