Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme

Simon Lightwood Excerpts

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)]

It is a pleasure as always to see you in the Chair, Dr Huq. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon East (Natasha Irons) for securing this important debate, and I recognise her tireless advocacy on behalf of her constituents and rail passengers across the region. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Peter Lamb) for his contribution. I commend the collaboration among local partners, councils, industry and residents in making the case for improvements on the Brighton main line.

The BML is a vital artery that connects the south-east with the heart of London, carrying millions of passengers every year. It is a lifeline for commuters, visitors and businesses, and provides a direct rail connection to Gatwick airport. East Croydon station, in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon East, serves as a major transport hub, linking services across Sussex, Surrey and the London Tramlink network. The line facilitates billions of pounds in economic activity every year, supporting the growth of businesses and helping communities to remain connected.

The line’s importance is reflected in the significant investment it has received in recent years. The £7 billion Thameslink programme transformed north-south travel through London, delivering faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys for passengers. It introduced a new fleet of class 700 trains on the Brighton main line, significantly increasing onboard capacity. Given the modern technology used in those trains, there have been improvements in service reliability right across the Brighton main line and the wider Thameslink network.

Major stations such as London Blackfriars and London Bridge were completely rebuilt as part of the programme, and a vital interchange with the Elizabeth line was created at Farringdon. Through the major hub of East Croydon station, the Thameslink programme established new direct connections to destinations such as Peterborough and Cambridge.

More than £250 million was recently invested in upgrading Gatwick Airport station, delivering a more accessible concourse, doubling the space for passengers and improving the reliability of trains calling at the station. For too many years, Gatwick Airport station had impacted services along the Brighton main line due to the extended time that passengers needed to board and alight trains. Following platform widening and track remodelling, passengers can now board more quickly, which reduces delays and cuts journey times between Brighton and London by up to five minutes, and improves performance and reliability overall. It has also reduced knock-on delays further up and down the line. I hope my hon. Friend and her constituents have started to see the direct benefits of those interventions at Gatwick, be it in the efficiency of the train service or the ease with which they can start their holiday journeys.

Before the pandemic, the Croydon area remodelling scheme was rightly identified as a way to address overcrowding, increase capacity and improve the reliability of the Brighton main line. As my hon. Friend outlined, the complex junction at Selhurst—often referred to as the Croydon bottleneck—alongside the challenging operation of East Croydon and Norwood Junction stations, places significant constraints on the capacity and smooth operation of the network.

CARS was developed to address those challenges through extensive remodelling of the tracks and rail junctions north of East Croydon station. The programme also included plans for the redevelopment of East Croydon and Norwood Junction stations. At the time, Network Rail estimated that the scheme would take more than 10 years to deliver and would cost about £2.9 billion. Delivery would also require substantial disruption for passengers travelling along the Brighton main line.

As we know, the covid-19 pandemic changed travel patterns, created uncertainty about future demand and placed considerable pressures on public finances. In response, the previous Government took the decision to cancel the scheme at the 2021 spending review, although regrettably that decision was never actually formally communicated to stakeholders. No further development work has taken place on CARS since then.

On 8 July 2025, the Secretary of State updated Parliament on rail infrastructure scheme progress following the 2025 spending review. As my hon. Friend is aware, CARS was not allocated funding. The Government are committed to delivering infrastructure that offers the greatest benefit to passengers and the wider economy as quickly as possible and within a fully funded, deliverable programme. Given limited funding for rail enhancement projects and the significant recent investment already made on the line, including through Thameslink and Gatwick, the difficult decision was taken not to prioritise CARS at this stage.

I recognise that, despite those investments, my hon. Friend and other Members who represent constituencies along the Brighton main line will continue to make the case for investment. The next spending review, due in 2027, will be an important opportunity to make the case for future investment. The Government look forward to working with my hon. Friend and other BML stakeholders in developing that case.

I again thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate and for her commitment to championing improvements for rail passengers across her constituency and the wider region. I understand the disappointment that she and other stakeholders expressed following the outcome of the spending review last year. Although difficult decisions have been necessary, the Government recognise the long-term benefits of the Croydon area remodelling scheme. We will continue to work constructively with industry partners, local authorities and stakeholders as we consider future opportunities to improve capacity and performance on this vital route.

The case that my hon. Friend has set out today and on many previous occasions will remain an important part of the discussions as we look to the future. I am sure the Rail Minister looks forward to continuing that engagement and ensuring that the Brighton main line remains a reliable, high-performing railway that supports passengers, communities and economic growth for years to come.

Question put and agreed to.