Transport for London tenders for new Croydon Tramlink trams

Croydon Tramlink is a 28km (17-mile) network in South London operated by First Group's London Trams on behalf of Transport for London.  

 

With the original fleet of Bombardier CR4000 trams now 26 years old, the decision has been taken to seek replacements, with 24 new trams and an option for up to 16 more.  

 

The tender specifies that there should be an option to order up to 12 more trams without a break in production, or between 8 and 16 more trams with a break in production. Spares and equipment plus technical support and spares for 30 years will be included in the contract. Expressions of interest are required to be received by 27 February. it is hoped the first new trams could enter service late in 2028. 

 

Croydon Tramlink currently has 35 trams operational, 24 of the Bombardier cars and 12 Stadler Variobahn dating from 2011-2016. 20.9M passengers were carried in 2022-2023. A number of proposals for extensions have been investigated but no funding has yet been allocated to take any forward.