Following an adjournment debate in Parliament on Monday 31st March secured by Natasha Irons MP, Labour MPs are calling for a fresh assessment of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS).
The Brighton Main Line remains the busiest, most congested and complex part of the UK’s rail network. The lack of capacity at East Croydon station combined with complex junctions in the Selhurst Triangle continue to cause delays and cancellations across the line.
The CARS was initially proposed in 2020 to tackle these issues. The scheme aimed to relieve the Croydon bottleneck, delivering a faster, more reliable service and improved connectivity across the coast-to-capital region.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, changing passenger behaviour and funding constraints, the project’s future is uncertain.
The Croydon bottleneck has long hindered the efficiency of train services, negatively impacting journey times and the network’s ability to meet growing demand. Without added capacity, there is no way to improve service punctuality or add new destinations to the Brighton Main Line in the future.
Natasha Irons, MP for Croydon East, and Peter Lamb, MP for Crawley, are calling for a renewed assessment of the CARS scheme. Both MPs believe that, with the renewal of Gatwick Airport and the Government’s recent strides towards greater public ownership of the rail network, the project must be revisited with a fresh perspective.
The economic case for Gatwick expansion, creating an estimated 14,000 new jobs and generating an estimated £1 billion a year for the British economy, is well documented. The Government have also said that the expansion would see the number of passengers arriving at the airport via public transport increase from 44% to 54%.
The Government’s number one priority is growth and any delay to the CARS scheme will stifle economic growth for the regions between London and Crawley, as well as London and Gatwick Airport.
The CARS would deliver real benefits to Croydon residents, with projects such as the Croydon opportunity area earmarked for 14,500 new homes and 10,500 new jobs by 2041.
With continued pressure on the Brighton Main Line, stakeholders from across the transport sector must engage in an urgent discussion about the future of the network. The CARS proposal would modernise East Croydon and Norwood Junction station, provide a significant boost to the regional and national economy and help ensure the rail network meets passenger demand for decades to come.
Natasha Irons, Labour MP for Croydon East said:
“The need for investment in Croydon’s rail infrastructure has not gone away. If anything, the expansion of Gatwick Airport only makes addressing the capacity challenges at East Croydon station all the more important. Resuming the CARS project would increase capacity at East Croydon station with two new platforms and provide step-free access at Norwood Junction station. The CARS is not just good for Croydon. It’s good for the entire southeast.”
Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley said:
“Many Crawley residents, depend upon the Brighton Main Line to get to work every day and every year the service commuters are forced to endure gets more cramped and less reliable. The Brighton Main Line must secure investment. Without this, conditions will keep getting worse and by 2040 transport models show there simply won’t be any space left for passengers to board trains by the time they reach Three Bridges. We cannot allow that to happen, that’s why I’m fighting for this investment, and I will go on fighting until it’s secured.”
Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley has joined Natasha Irons, Labour MP for Croydon East in calling on the Government to invest in CARS and the south region more broadly.