B&M McHugh takes possession of the East Croydon station bridge on 19 August 2026 to start surveys for the eastern entrance. What is being built, who pays, and when Addiscombe finally gets its shortcut.

Work to open the long-closed eastern end of the East Croydon station footbridge begins on Wednesday 19 August 2026, when Network Rail’s contractor B&M McHugh Limited takes possession of the site. Residents living near the station received letters from Network Rail last week confirming the appointment, and the first weeks will be spent on surveys, investigations and site set-up before construction proper starts, according to the Executive Mayor’s newsletter of 14 August.

It is the first physical activity on the through-route since the bridge itself opened in December 2013, and it follows the funding agreement between Croydon Council, Network Rail and the developer Menta Regeneration that the council announced on 9 July 2026. Network Rail’s Sussex route director, Lucy McAuliffe, said in that announcement that the partners could now “proceed into the delivery phase ahead of completion in 2027”. The East Croydon Community Organisation, which has pressed for the route for years, reported after the agreement that the opening is expected in spring 2027.

What is actually being built

The bridge already spans every platform at East Croydon. Its western end has been open since 2013, giving step-free access to the platforms and a walkway out to the junction of Lansdowne Road and Dingwall Road (East Croydon station). The eastern end, which would land in the new public square beside Menta’s Blossoms development on Cherry Orchard Road, has never opened, so anyone in Addiscombe walking to the town centre still has to go round by the Addiscombe Road or Cherry Orchard Road bridges.

Once the works are complete the council says the bridge will be “fully open to pedestrians at both ends for the first time”, giving Addiscombe a direct route into the town centre and passengers a fully accessible way in from the east (Croydon Council, 9 July 2026). Menta says the step and lift access and the public realm on its side are already finished, and that its new public square will open to the public later this year.

There is one thing it will not have at first. The community organisation reports that Network Rail is not installing ticket barriers at the eastern end initially, and “are waiting to see if there is a demand for their use before planning their installation” (ECCO, 11 July 2026). In practice that means the eastern side opens as a public walkway over the railway rather than as a second gated station entrance.

Timeline of the East Croydon station footbridge: 2010 Network Rail proposes a 20 million pound revamp with a new entrance and the council pledges 6 million; December 2013 bridge opens at the western end only; 2019 new consent for the Menta scheme on the eastern side; August 2024 partners restate commitment after the eastern link is built but the through-route needs repair; 9 July 2026 funding agreement finalised; 19 August 2026 contractor B&M McHugh takes possession; 2027 through-route due to open
Graphic by Croydon Today. Sources: Croydon Council newsroom (23 August 2024, 8 December 2025, 9 July 2026, 14 August 2026); East Croydon Community Organisation, 11 July 2026.

Why it took thirteen years

The bridge was part of a £20 million revamp of the station that Network Rail proposed in 2010, with the council pledging £6 million in September 2010 to make sure a bridge was included (East Croydon station). The council’s own account, published in August 2024, explains what went wrong next: the council’s contribution was paid in phases “on the basis that the connecting Menta development came forward on the eastern side”, and that development “was not able to commence at that time”, so the eastern connection stalled. A new planning consent and agreement followed in 2019, and Menta then built the eastern side, committing £15 million to the link piece joining its new stairs and lifts to the existing bridge, plus public realm for Addiscombe.

By 2024 the problem had shifted. The through-route side of the bridge “has sadly not been maintained”, the council said, and needed work to bring “the surface and surrounding structure up to safety standards and specification”, along with CCTV, lighting and monitoring before it could be opened. That is what the current works are for. Under the December 2025 arrangement, the council and Network Rail fund the repairs and improvements to the bridge, and Menta funds the works connecting the bridge to its public realm (Croydon Council, 8 December 2025). Once open, the community organisation reports, the council will handle cleaning and general maintenance, Network Rail the structural maintenance, and Menta the structures it built.

The route is one of ten projects in the council’s £40 million town-centre programme, alongside the new street-level crossing on Wellesley Road (opened 3 December 2025, with the pedestrian subway closed), the Dingwall Road upgrades and the new paving and crossings on George Street (Croydon Council, 9 July 2026).

What it means for you

  • From 19 August: expect surveying and site set-up around the eastern end of the bridge, off Cherry Orchard Road, and possibly on the bridge deck. Network Rail has written to nearby residents; if you did not get a letter and want the works contact, the council’s July release is the reference point.
  • Trains and platforms: nothing announced changes the existing western entrance or the platform links. The town-centre tram loop closure, which is separate, runs to Sunday 23 August; the current position is on our roadworks and travel page, and journey times are on our trains to London guide.
  • When it opens, in 2027: Addiscombe and the Cherry Orchard Road flats get a level walk over the railway into the town centre instead of the road bridges. Do not count on entering the station from the east through a gateline on day one: the reported plan is a walkway first, with barriers only if demand justifies them.
  • What to watch: a construction start date and a firm opening date have not been published. the council says it will “continue to share updates as the work progresses” (Mayor’s newsletter, 14 August); we will report each one as it appears.