Croydon's town-centre trams stay off until Sunday 30 August. Plus the bank holiday rail changes at East Croydon and the roads shut into September.

Getting around Croydon means dealing with three different road authorities, the largest tram network in London, and whatever the utility companies have dug up this week. This page keeps the picture straight: what is genuinely disrupting travel now, who actually runs each road (the fact that saves the wasted phone calls), and the live maps that always have the current answer between our updates.

The trams did not come back yesterday

The town-centre closure has moved back to Sunday 30 August. TfL’s live status, checked this morning, gives no service between Reeves Corner and East Croydon from Thursday 6 until Sunday 30 August 2026 (TfL tram status).

That matters because the date has changed. In mid-August TfL’s own status was advertising Sunday 23 August as the end, and we published that here. It is now the 24th, the trams are still off, and TfL is giving the 30th. Five stops remain shut:

  • Centrale
  • Church Street
  • George Street
  • Wellesley Road
  • West Croydon

Trams still run Wimbledon to Reeves Corner, East Croydon to New Addington, and East Croydon to Beckenham Junction. Around 770 metres of worn track is being replaced. If you use the town-centre stops, assume another week of walking between Reeves Corner and East Croydon, and check the status before you set off rather than trusting any published end date, including ours.

The Arena to Elmers End closure runs to 30 August as well. There is no service on that section before 07:00 or after 19:30 Monday to Friday, before 08:00 or after 18:45 on Saturdays, and none at all on Sundays. The 289 bus covers it (TfL tram status).

Roads shut right now (checked 24 August 2026)

  • Tamworth Road, town centre: closed in both directions at its junction with North End for tram rail repair works, until 31 August.
  • A237 Woodcote Grove Road, Coulsdon: closed in both directions between The Horseshoe and Howard Road for SGN gas works, until 2 September. Diversion in place, with delays reported on the diversion.
  • A23 Streatham Hill: lane restrictions for TfL works between Christchurch Road and Leigham Court Road until 19 November, which slows the main road route from Norbury and Thornton Heath into central London. The A23 Streatham Hill major scheme is also closing that stretch overnight for resurfacing on some nights.

All three are on TfL’s traffic status feed. The Thames Water lane closures on the A232 Addiscombe Road and Wickham Road have finished and no longer appear. Short-dated closures on residential roads change weekly; the live maps below are the authority on the day.

The bank holiday weekend: what changes at East Croydon

This is the part worth reading before Saturday. Engineering work closes the lines between London Bridge and Tulse Hill via Peckham Rye across all three days, 29, 30 and 31 August, and buses replace the trains on that stretch (National Rail: bank holiday information, Southern).

Saturday 29 and Monday 31 August. The London Bridge to East Croydon service via Peckham Rye, the stopping one, runs only between Tulse Hill and East Croydon. London Bridge to Beckenham Junction runs only between Tulse Hill and Beckenham Junction.

Sunday 30 August is the worst day of the three for Croydon. On top of the Peckham Rye closure:

  • London Bridge to Caterham via Norwood Junction: no trains at all.
  • London Victoria to London Bridge trains run only between Victoria and Crystal Palace.
  • The Tulse Hill service is extended, running Tulse Hill to Caterham and Tattenham Corner via East Croydon.
  • Paper tickets are accepted at no extra cost on the Jubilee line between London Bridge and Canada Water, and on London Overground between Canada Water and Norwood Junction or Crystal Palace.
  • Gatwick Express does not run at all until about 07:00, then runs an amended timetable until about 09:00.

Late on Monday night, three separate jobs start after the last useful trains, so they matter mainly if you are coming home from a bank holiday day out:

  • From about 23:45, buses replace trains between London Bridge and East Croydon or West Croydon via Norwood Junction.
  • From about 23:45, London Victoria to East Croydon trains run to an amended timetable with longer journey times.
  • After 23:45, overnight work in the Coulsdon South area means trains cannot call at stations between Purley and Horley via Redhill. Replacement buses run from East Croydon and Purley to Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges and Horsham. Thameslink’s version of the same job runs to about 05:00 on Tuesday and drops Coulsdon South, Merstham and Redhill (National Rail: bank holiday information, Thameslink).

Southern runs an amended bank holiday timetable all day on the Monday.

The Brighton Main Line itself is not closed this weekend. Southern’s own list of major route closures has nothing between now and Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, when there will be no trains between Brighton and Three Bridges. After that, Sunday 10 January 2027 closes Gatwick Airport to Purley and East Croydon, and a nine-day closure runs from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 February 2027 (Southern: Brighton Main Line engineering work). Worth putting in the diary now.

Heading to Gatwick or the coast by car this week

National Highways is closing the M23 southbound between junctions 9 and 11 overnight on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 21:00 to 06:00 each night, for maintenance. There is also a one-night closure of the M23 southbound between junctions 7 and 8, the stretch immediately south of the borough, from 22:00 on Monday 24 August to 05:30 on Tuesday, for emergency safety fence repairs. Diversions run via the National Highways and local authority network (National Highways: 7-day closure report).

Who runs which road

This is the evergreen fact worth keeping. Croydon’s two trunk corridors are red routes, and red routes belong to Transport for London, not the council: the A23 through the borough (London Road, Purley Way and Brighton Road through Purley and Coulsdon), the A232 across it (including Addiscombe Road and the Croydon flyover), and the A22 Godstone Road through Purley and Kenley (Croydon Council: road and pavement responsibilities). Stopping restrictions on the red routes are enforced with £100 fines (Croydon Council: red routes).

Every other public road is coordinated by Croydon Council, which schedules its own works and permits the utilities: Thames Water, SGN, Openreach and the rest. Potholes and street problems go to the council through its Love Clean Streets app (road and pavement responsibilities). The M25 and M23, brushing the borough’s southern edge, are National Highways’ roads.

Decision helper showing who runs each road in the borough of Croydon: the A23, A232 and A22 Godstone Road are TfL red routes, the M25 and M23 belong to National Highways, and every other public road is coordinated by Croydon Council with problems reported through the Love Clean Streets app
Diagram by Croydon Today, from the council's responsibilities pages and TfL.

The live maps that always have the answer

Roadworks lists date fast; these do not.

When the roads jam, the rails usually win

The practical Croydon answer to a blocked road is rarely another road. East Croydon runs about fifteen trains an hour into central London off-peak with London Bridge 14 minutes away, and the network barely stops at night; the full pattern, fares and caps are in our trains to London guide. Once the August track renewals finish, the trams knit the borough back together from Wimbledon to New Addington and Beckenham, and both systems share the same contactless daily cap, so switching mid-journey costs nothing extra (TfL fares). If you drive to a station instead, our parking in Croydon guide covers the car parks and controlled zones.

Frequently asked questions

Why are there still no trams in central Croydon?

TfL’s live status gives no service between Reeves Corner and East Croydon from 6 until Sunday 30 August, so the town-centre stops stay shut for another week. In mid-August the same status was advertising 23 August as the end date, and it has since moved. Centrale, Church Street, George Street, Wellesley Road and West Croydon are the closed stops; trams still run Wimbledon to Reeves Corner and East Croydon to New Addington and Beckenham Junction (TfL tram status).

Are trains running from East Croydon over the August bank holiday?

Yes, but with changes on all three days. Buses replace trains between London Bridge and Tulse Hill via Peckham Rye from Saturday to Monday. On Sunday 30 August there are no London Bridge to Caterham trains via Norwood Junction at all, and London Victoria to London Bridge trains turn back at Crystal Palace (National Rail).

Where can I see current roadworks in Croydon?

Two places always have the live answer: one.network, which the council uses as its official roadworks map, and TfL’s traffic status for the A23, A232 and A22 red routes.

Who is responsible for the A23 and Purley Way?

Transport for London. The A23 through the borough, including London Road, Purley Way and Brighton Road, is a red route, along with the A232 and the A22 Godstone Road (Croydon Council). Everything else is the council’s.

How do I report a pothole in Croydon?

Through the council’s Love Clean Streets app, or its online reporting pages, for any road except the red routes (Croydon Council). Red-route problems go to TfL.

Sources

Roadworks and engineering dates change at short notice, as the tram closure here shows; the live maps above are the authority on the day. Our other guides cover trains to London, parking in Croydon and Croydon bin collection days. Last checked 24 August 2026.