East Croydon is one of the busiest stations in the London area, and the 16th busiest overall in the UK, with over 15 million passengers a year. In addition, over 4 million people a year change trains here, making it the third busiest interchange after Clapham Junction and London Bridge. It's always busy, day and night, and is one of the few true 24-hour stations in the UK. I'm a regular user, unfortunately.
Historically, the station is one of the oldest in the London area, and opened in 1841 on the London and Brighton Railway. It has always been a busy station, and it has got busier as Croydon has developed as South London's major employment and shopping hub, especially after the major office developments in the 1960s.
So, perhaps it's not surprising that the station to-day is functional rather than attractive. The main street-level building opened in 1992, and consists of four steel masts holding up a steel and glass roof. This may have looked neat on the original plan, but with the addition of the tram station at the front, it now looks a mess (although it does make for convenient connections).
The station is reasonably well equipped, although the concourse area is very cramped. There are several shops, a newsagents, shoe-repairer and cafes in the concourse, and cash-points (ATMs) just outside. As already said, Croydon Tramlink trams stop right outside, and a small bus station is situated just to the north, with buses to a wide range of destinations in south London. One saving grace is that the concourse has lots of electronic destination boards - essential given the complex range of services from its 6 platforms (in the order of 50 departures an hour, off peak).
At platform level, there are waiting areas with buffets and toilets, and generous awnings to keep off the weather. The platforms are connected to the concourse by long ramps, and there is also a subway between the platforms, again with long ramps. This makes it very accessible, although wheelchair users may need assistance - the ramps to the concourse are very long and quite steep. It also makes for time-consuming platform changes if you are in hurry (and the 'do not run' signs don't help).
As well as services on the London-Brighton and South Coast main line via Gatwick Airport, there are frequent services to London Bridge on the cross-London route (formerly Thameslink, now Cross-Capital Connect) and suburban trains to a wide range of destinations, including (deep breath!) Uckfield, East Grinstead, Tattenham Corner, Horsham, Caterham and Smitham, and services to London Victoria, London Bridge and Charing Cross, via Norwood Junction, Streatham Common, Crystal Palace, and Forest Hill. Be warned that the platforms are bi-directional which can catch out unwary passengers. Note too that the Gatwick Express trains don't stop here.
The new concourse only opened in 1992, but already it is hopelessly small for the number of passengers it caters for. There are plans as part of the 'Croydon Vision 2020' redevelopment for a major expansion of facilities along with the new shopping and office complex planned for the adjacent land. read more