It was ten Years ago Today (2)

Image: © Peter Trimming Taken: 10 May 2010

10th May 2010 saw the 10th anniversary of the opening of Tramlink (previously Croydon Tramlink), when the public service on route No.3, from Croydon to New Addington, commenced. This ran from New Addington, through Croydon, on the loop, to New Addington. Within weeks, routes No.1 and No.2 were operational, linking Croydon to Wimbledon, Beckenham Junction, and Elmers End. Nowadays, route No.3 runs from New Addington to Wimbledon, via Croydon. For several weeks, prior to the commencement of the public service, a “ghost” service had been run, to test the timetables; cars stopped at red traffic lights, as empty trams sailed past. On 10th May, I found myself in Manchester, whilst returning from a business trip. Frustrated that delay had followed delay, in the opening of Tramlink, I decided to take a short ride on one of Manchester’s trams. Some hours later, when I arrived back at East Croydon, I was faced with torrents of rain and, joy, oh joy, trams running! So, I managed journeys on both systems on the same day. Ten years on, Tramlink’s 24 trams carry an annual 26.5 million passengers. Other road users, and pedestrians, are used to the trams gliding past; sometimes only a few feet away from café and pub seating. Here, a tram has just arrived at the East Croydon stop. Image

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