Plans for a major redevelopment of Norwood Junction station in south London are being reviewed in light of lower post-pandemic passenger numbers and the cost of the project.

The proposals are part of the wider plan to clean up the mess of tracks around Croydon station to improve the capacity of the lines through the area, but it is also a stand-alone project. The plans for Norwood Junction station were expected to see the tracks and platforms realigned to allow more trains to stop at the station, and also to create more space for more non-stopping trains to get through the station. It’s all about making the station better for passengers who use it, while also fixing congestion problems on the tracks around the north of Croydon.

Although there wasn’t a commitment to funding the project yet, initial planning work for the station upgrade started just before the pandemic, with the intent to then submit the scheme for funding once the costs were fully understood.

However, Network Rail has announced that the project “has been affected by issues such as the significant uncertainty about future passenger behaviour, and demand following the COVID-19 pandemic and funding constraints following the Government’s 2020 Spending Review.”

Network Rail says that “given the significant investment required to deliver this scheme, we are now taking time to consider how the pandemic may affect passenger behaviour and travel patterns in the future, and how any such changes should be reflected in infrastructure investments such as this.”