South Croydon railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon

London Borough of Croydon

The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...

 in south London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, in Travelcard Zone 5

Travelcard Zone 5

Fare zone 5 is an outer zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services. The zone was created in May 1983 and in January 1991 part...

. It is on the Brighton Line

Brighton Main Line

The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...

 at its junction with the Oxted Line

Oxted Line

The Oxted Line is a railway line in southern England. It was originally operated jointly by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway. It is now part of the Southern franchise....

. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern

Southern (train operating company)

Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...

.

History

Originally South Croydon was a terminus, next to the Brighton Line

Brighton Main Line

The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...

 but without any platforms on to it. It was at the end of a one-mile extension to the local lines from London to New Croydon station, opened by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway on 1 September 1865. The aim was to provide more space for reversing local trains than could be afforded at the busy New Croydon station. The rapid growth of the town in this area may also have been a factor.

In 1894 the railway obtained authority to extend the local line from South Croydon to Coulsdon

Coulsdon

Coulsdon is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt of the Farthing Down, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common...

, where it connected with the new Quarry line. The station was rebuilt as a through station with platform faces to all the lines prior to the opening of the new line in November 1899.

In 1947 a train crash

South Croydon rail crash

The South Croydon rail crash on the British railway system occurred on 24 October 1947.The crash took place south of South Croydon railway station. Two electric commuter trains collided in fog and 32 people were killed, one of whom was the driver of the second train...

 about 500 metres south of the station killed 32 people, the worst accident in the history of the Southern Railway.

On 1 August 2011, a landslide caused by a burst water main occurred approximately 200 yards north of the station. This blocked the main lines for 24 hours.

Services

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

• 2 to London Victoria
  Victoria station (London)
  Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
  
   via East Croydon
  East Croydon station
  East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
  
   and Norbury
  Norbury railway station
  Norbury railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London miles from Victoria. The station is operated by Southern, who also provide the majority of services and is in Travelcard Zone 3.Ticket barriers are in operation at this station.- Service :The typical off-peak train...
  
  
• 2 to London Bridge
  London Bridge station
  London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
  
   via East Croydon and Forest Hill
  Forest Hill railway station
  Forest Hill railway station is situated in Forest Hill, part of the London Borough of Lewisham. The station is located on the South Circular Road ....
  
  
• 4 to Caterham
  Caterham railway station
  Caterham railway station serves the town of Caterham in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England.The station is the southern terminus of the Caterham Line, which branches from the London to Brighton main line at Purley...
  
  
• 2 to East Grinstead
  East Grinstead railway station
  East Grinstead railway station serves the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. The station was formerly divided into two levels: the higher level platforms serving the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line, whilst the lower level platforms received services from the Oxted Line 49 km ...
  
   via Oxted
  Oxted railway station
  Oxted railway station is a relatively busy interchange station and terminus located in Surrey, in the South East region of England. At present, all train services are provided by Southern. The station is the busiest suburban station on the Oxted Line and is a terminus for some services on the...
  
   (during weekday peak times only)
• 1 to Milton Keynes Central
  Milton Keynes Central railway station
  Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
  
   via and

Platforms

South Croydon has five platforms connected by a narrow subway.

The tracks through platforms 1 and 2 are used by services that do not call, for example fast Southern

Southern (train operating company)

Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...

 services such as from London Victoria to Brighton

Brighton railway station

Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...

, First Capital Connect

First Capital Connect

First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...

 services and the Gatwick Express

Gatwick Express

Gatwick Express is the name given to the frequent rail shuttle service between Victoria station in London and Gatwick Airport in South East England, operated by the Southern franchise...

. Platform 3 is used by up trains to London Bridge and London Victoria. Platform 4 is used by both up and down trains.
Platform 5 is used by down trains to Caterham

Caterham railway station

Caterham railway station serves the town of Caterham in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England.The station is the southern terminus of the Caterham Line, which branches from the London to Brighton main line at Purley...

and other destinations.
Ticket gates became operational in April 2009.

External links