Jason Perry and London Gatwick Urge East Croydon Rail Fix 2026

Key Points

• Croydon’s Executive Mayor, Jason Perry, has announced a long-term ambition to transform the South London borough into one of the best destinations in the South of England for a night out by 2040.
• Mayor Jason Perry and London Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Pierre-Hugues Schmit have jointly written to the Chancellor urging the Government to resolve the long-standing rail bottleneck around East Croydon station.
• The joint appeal was announced on Thursday, 12 November 2026, coinciding with speeches delivered by both leaders at the Invest in Croydon conference.
• London Gatwick is investing more than £2 billion of private funding into its Northern Runway programme, which is projected to create around 14,000 jobs and contribute an additional £1 billion annually to the regional economy.
• According to Croydon Council, 18 per cent of all national passenger journeys occur on the Greater Thameslink Railway network, and East Croydon handles more trains each day than all the intercity operators serving Euston, King’s Cross, and St Pancras combined.
• Network Rail’s Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS), originally designed to expand East Croydon station and untangle conflicting rail junctions, was paused in 2022 and currently remains without funding or a delivery timetable.
• A separate report by the Good Growth Foundation estimates that fixing the East Croydon bottleneck could unlock £5.1 billion for the economy over 20 years, 10,500 permanent jobs, 14,500 new homes, and 230,000 saved commuter hours per year.

Croydon (South London News) November 13, 2026 – Croydon’s Executive Mayor, Jason Perry, has set out an ambition to establish the borough as “one of the best places in the South of England for a night out” by 2040, stating that achieving this goal depends on first resolving persistent rail congestion at East Croydon station.

As reported by Local Democracy Reporter Harrison Galliven of MyLondon, Mayor Jason Perry outlined his vision during the Invest in Croydon conference, where he emphasized attracting visitors to stop in the town centre rather than passing through. Speaking at the event, Jason Perry stated that

“I want people to get off the train in Croydon, because there is history, heart and hustle here.”

To support this regeneration and economic growth, Mayor Perry and London Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Pierre-Hugues Schmit have formally joined forces to press the Chancellor for central Government investment into the local rail network. As reported by Liam Joseph of Croydon Today, the joint letter from the council and the airport was announced on Thursday, 12 November 2026, the same day both leaders addressed policymakers, investors, developers, and business representatives at the Invest in Croydon conference organised by White Label and partners.

Why are Croydon Council and London Gatwick urging the Chancellor to fix the East Croydon rail bottleneck?

As reported by Croydon Council’s official newsroom, Mayor Jason Perry highlighted that Croydon occupies a strategic position on the rail network connecting London, the South Coast, and major aviation hubs, yet infrastructure constraints limit regional economic performance. In a statement released alongside the joint letter, Jason Perry stated that

“Croydon sits at the heart of a rail corridor connecting communities, businesses and two major airports. Yet a bottleneck here holds back opportunities far beyond our borough.”

Mayor Perry directly linked the need for rail upgrades to London Gatwick’s privately funded expansion plans. As reported on Jason Perry’s official website, the Executive Mayor stated that “Gatwick is investing more than £2bn of private funding in its Northern Runway programme, Britain’s first major runway expansion in a generation.” He added that

“We need the railway to support that investment, giving people reliable journeys and businesses the confidence to grow. The return would be felt in jobs, new homes and stronger local economies along the line.”

Outlining the next steps in their lobbying effort, Jason Perry stated that

“Working with Pierre-Hugues Schmit and the London Gatwick team, we are taking that case directly to the Chancellor. We will continue bringing together local authority leaders up and down the rail line to press for action. Addressing this bottleneck would improve daily life for our residents and help turn the Government’s aspirations for growth into investment and opportunity.”

London Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Pierre-Hugues Schmit echoed the call for coordinated infrastructure planning alongside private capital expenditure. As reported by Croydon Council, Pierre-Hugues Schmit stated that

“Our Northern Runway programme is a major opportunity for the UK, creating around 14,000 jobs and contributing an additional £1bn to the regional economy every year.”

Pierre-Hugues Schmit further explained the operational necessity of reliable rail links for the airport and surrounding communities, stating that

“Reliable, convenient and affordable public transport is central to our growth and to ensuring that its benefits reach businesses and communities across the region. Addressing the Croydon bottleneck would strengthen a vital connection between Gatwick, London and the wider country.”

He concluded by stating that

“We are pleased to be working with Mayor Perry and Croydon Council to make this shared case to Government. By planning rail capacity alongside the private investment already committed, we can help secure the greatest possible economic benefit for the UK.”

How does the East Croydon rail bottleneck affect the wider Brighton Main Line and Thameslink network?

The operational strain at East Croydon affects rail services well beyond the boundaries of the London Borough of Croydon. As reported by Harrison Galliven of MyLondon, East Croydon is a critical interchange on the network that handles more trains each day than all the intercity operators serving Euston, King’s Cross, and St Pancras stations combined.

According to figures cited by Croydon Council and reported by Liam Joseph of Croydon Today, 18 per cent of all national passenger journeys take place on the Greater Thameslink Railway network. Because every rail service operating between London and Gatwick Airport travels through East Croydon, the joint letter to the Chancellor argues that minor delays at the station rapidly cascade across the Brighton Main Line, the Thameslink corridor, and connecting routes extending to Sussex, Brighton, Luton, and Bedford.

Furthermore, as reported by Brighton Locals Newsroom, the joint intervention by Gatwick and Croydon represents a formal case for investment rather than an announcement of newly approved funding or immediate engineering works. Mayor Perry had previously raised the infrastructure issue with the Secretary of State for Transport, and Croydon Council stated it remains prepared to collaborate with central Government, Network Rail, London Gatwick, and partners along the Thameslink corridor to deliver a practical upgrade programme.

What is the background of the East Croydon rail bottleneck and the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme?

The rail congestion around East Croydon stems from track layout limitations and station capacity constraints that have persisted for decades. East Croydon station currently operates with six platforms, while approaching rail lines converge at flat Victorian-era junctions north of the station known as the Selhurst Triangle. Because tracks cross over one another on the same level, trains travelling on different routes frequently have to wait for conflicting services to pass, reducing overall line capacity and causing knock-on delays across South London and the South East.

To resolve these structural issues, Network Rail previously developed the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS). The proposals included expanding East Croydon station by adding two new platforms, remodelling surrounding tracks and junctions, constructing new flyovers and dive-unders to separate conflicting train movements, and increasing capacity and reliability across the wider Brighton Main Line corridor. However, the scheme was paused by the Government in 2022 and has remained without allocated funding or a confirmed construction timetable.

On 11 November 2026—one day prior to the joint letter from Croydon Council and London Gatwick—the Good Growth Foundation published a report titled A Gateway to Gatwick – and Beyond, featuring a foreword by Croydon East MP Natasha Irons. The report noted that 67 per cent of trains at East Croydon were delayed or cancelled in 2024. It estimated that reviving an infrastructure upgrade modelled on CARS could deliver a £5.1 billion boost to the economy over 20 years, support 10,500 permanent jobs worth approximately £845 million annually, enable 14,500 new brownfield homes anchoring a £5.25 billion regeneration of Croydon town centre, and save commuters 230,000 hours each year. The report also warned that Gatwick Airport’s commitment to transporting 54 per cent of its passengers by rail cannot be achieved while the bottleneck persists, particularly as Luton Airport expands and Universal’s Bedford resort opens on the same rail corridor in 2031. To finance the upgrades, the Good Growth Foundation proposed a Mutual Investment Model incorporating contributions from central Government, the Mayor of London, Croydon Council, Gatwick Airport, landowners, and train operators, potentially utilising a levy on Gatwick or a 50p to £1 charge on departing flights.

How could resolving the East Croydon rail bottleneck affect commuters, local businesses, and residents?

If the Chancellor and central Government approve funding to untangle the East Croydon rail bottleneck, the resulting infrastructure improvements would directly affect daily rail commuters, local hospitality and retail businesses, and residents across South London, Surrey, and Sussex.

For daily commuters and airport passengers travelling along the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink routes, removing flat junction conflicts at the Selhurst Triangle and expanding platform capacity at East Croydon would reduce cascading delays and service cancellations. Reliable journey times and higher train frequencies would accommodate rising passenger numbers generated by London Gatwick’s Northern Runway expansion and wider regional population growth.

For Croydon’s local economy, hospitality venues, and night-time businesses, improved rail reliability and station capacity are central to Mayor Jason Perry’s 2040 strategy. Consistent late-evening rail connections to central London, Surrey, and the South Coast would make Croydon town centre more accessible for visitors attending restaurants, bars, music venues, and cultural spaces. Increased footfall from both regional visitors and airport travellers could strengthen commercial confidence for property developers and hospitality operators, supporting the broader delivery of new housing and town centre regeneration across the borough.