Network Rail confirmed the revised timeline this week, despite earlier projections that the bridge, linking Cherry Orchard Road in the east to Ruskin Square in the west, would be ready in 2025.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the delay is due to the three project partners needing to finalise a legal agreement before the final section of construction can begin.
The complexity stems from Network Rail, Croydon Council and developer Menta Regeneration each being responsible for different elements of the scheme.
In an update published on Monday (December 8), Croydon Council said it is working with Network Rail and Menta to complete agreements on costs, repairs and long-term maintenance. Menta is responsible for the completed public-realm section at the Cherry Orchard Road entrance between its two residential blocks, a stretch that has remained fenced off for a considerable time.
Once legal terms are settled, Network Rail’s contractor is expected to begin the final works early next year, with the council and Network Rail funding bridge improvements.
Croydon East MP Natasha Irons, who has been pressing Network Rail and the council for answers, said residents were right to feel let down by the latest delay.
Frustration over the delays has led some in Croydon to dub the project the ‘bridge to nowhere’, as pedestrians can currently access the Cherry Orchard Road entrance only to find the route blocked at the eastern end.
Ms Irons told the LDRS: “We’ve now been waiting over a decade for this bridge to open, a project that was meant to connect our community back in 2013. Network Rail promised it would be open by the end of this year, but once again that deadline has slipped. It’s hard not to feel frustrated when so much public money has gone into a bridge that still isn’t serving the people it was built for.”
Once open, the bridge is expected to provide an important connection for families and the many new residents who have made the rapidly growing eastern side of the station their home. Nick Beall, a Labour candidate for the Addiscombe West ward in next year’s local election, is among those parents.
“Each morning, I drop my son to nursery and walk past the unopened bridge, unable to get into the station,” he told the LDRS. Mr Beall, who released a Love Actually style video with Ms Irons calling for an end to the delays, added: “It’s frustrating that we are now 12 years on and there is still no sign that the bridge will be open any time soon.”
The LDRS previously reported that the bridge will not include ticket barriers on the Cherry Orchard Road side, meaning passengers will need to climb the stairs, pass through a narrow entrance, cross the bridge, queue at the west-side gates and then walk back across to reach platforms 5 and 6. Network Rail has cited cost pressures for the decision, but many residents living east of the station say it will add unnecessary time and hassle to their journeys.
Croydon Council has highlighted its progress elsewhere in the town centre, with the new pedestrian crossing on Wellesley Road opening last week. The council said it remains committed to delivering a fully accessible station entrance on both sides of the railway, adding: “Executive Mayor Jason Perry is driving forward £40 million of projects to make the town centre more welcoming and accessible for everyone who lives, works and visits Croydon.”
The 10 projects include improvements in George Street and Dingwall Road, which are already under way.
