PM vows to revive stalled £2.9bn Croydon rail upgrade

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to bring the stalled Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS) back into consideration. The project, designed to address severe rail congestion around East Croydon and Windmill Bridge Junction, has been a long-standing issue for passengers travelling from Gatwick Airport and Brighton.

The CARS scheme was initially proposed in 2020 with the aim of increasing capacity at East Croydon station, improving accessibility at Norwood Junction, and easing pressure on the Brighton Main Line. It was expected to allow for four to six additional trains per hour and boost peak capacity by approximately 15%.

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Croydon rail bottleneck plans to be re-examined

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to revisit the stalled Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS).

Scheme scrapped without consultation

Transport Minister Simon Lightwood confirmed in March that the previous government had cancelled the CARS scheme in 2021. This decision was reportedly made without informing key stakeholders, and the project has not received funding in subsequent government spending reviews. The original upgrades were estimated to cost £2.9 billion and were projected to take over a decade to complete, with significant disruption anticipated during construction.

Croydon East MP Natasha Irons raised the stalled scheme during Prime Minister's Questions on September 2, 2026. She highlighted the potential economic benefits of the upgrades, suggesting that fixing the bottleneck could unlock approximately £5.1 billion in economic value over the next two decades. Ms Irons also emphasised the impact on local youth, stating that without improved rail infrastructure, they might miss out on employment and training opportunities arising from Gatwick Airport's expansion.

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Gatwick expansion could provide Croydon’s young people with world-class employment and training close to their home, but cuts to investment in rail infrastructure around East Croydon station by the previous Conservative government means these opportunities could still be out of reach because Croydon’s young people physically cannot get to them.

Natasha Irons, MP for Croydon East

In response to Ms Irons' plea to reconsider CARS, Prime Minister Burnham stated he would arrange for his office to contact her to discuss how the scheme could be put back on track. He acknowledged the importance of transport connectivity for young people's life chances.

Call for fresh assessment

In August 2026, Croydon's Executive Mayor Jason Perry also called for a new assessment of the rail bottleneck. Mayor Perry stated that the council was not seeking approval for the original plan unchanged, but rather an update of the evidence to identify the most affordable and achievable way forward. He urged ministers to re-evaluate CARS alongside phased interventions that could deliver earlier improvements.

Mayor Perry also requested that land acquired or designated for the scheme be protected and that a joint working group be established involving the council, the Department for Transport, and other relevant parties. He expressed hope for a robust investment proposal to be ready for the 2027 spending review. The Mayor pointed to planned investments along the wider corridor, including Gatwick Airport's £2.2 billion Northern Runway project, as further reasons to address the infrastructure constraints around Croydon.