Why getting from East Croydon to the beach to soak up the sun could soon be a lot easier
New train services will make it easy for anyone to travel to the south coast in the summer weather
Craig Simpson
13:41, 7 MAY 2018
A massive shakeup of train timetables could make it far easier to travel from Croydon to the beach.
The new trains services will mean many more trains from the borough to Brighton for those looking to enjoy the summer sun.
Govia Thameslink Railway – which operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services – has announced a huge shakeup of its train timetable.
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The changes are part of a £7 billion Government-sponsored Thameslink Programme to invest in the railways and improve capacity into the capital.
These changes will come into action on May 20 just in time for the arrival of the British summer.
New timetabling means that there will be five trains an hour bound for Brighton from East Croydon.
This will make it far easier for any looking for the beach on a sunny day to make the trip to the south coast.
Timetable changes will be rolled on Sunday, May 20, at 2pm.
Brighton beach will be easier to travel to (Image: Ruth Lumley/PA Archive/PA Images)
A raft of changes has been planned to bring a "major milestone" in rail services for south London.
It will soon be far easier to pop to the beach as the summer weather arrives.
New services will also make it easier to travel elsewhere as rail operator GTR looks for "improved reliability".
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Charles Horton, GTR's chief executive, said: "A huge number of passengers will notice the benefits in terms of new journeys, better intervals between trains, improved reliability, and more capacity across a wide region.
"Introduction of the new timetables is a major milestone in the delivery of RailPlan 20/20, our programme to modernise rail services, taking advantage of the new infrastructure and trains provided by the Thameslink Programme.
"These changes followed the biggest and most effective consultation of its kind during which we made hundreds of amendments, some substantial, in response to 28,000 responses."
Passengers getting on a Southern train at East Croydon station (Image: Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
"We are redeploying trains and crew and there may be some disruption, so we ask passengers for their understanding during the transition period of several weeks during which time a very small number of trains will not run.
Norwood Junction is set to get a boost in services.
It will gain an all-day-long Thameslink service to Bedford, which stops at Blackfriars and St Pancras.
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South Croydon will receive an extra service to London Bridge.
There will also be an increase to two trains per hour from East Croydon for anyone heading to Reigate, and there will be an increase in peak morning services to Blackfriars.
Thameslink is also introducing two brand new services from East Croydon, with two trains per hour going to Peterborough and one to Cambridge every day.