Croydon will be added to the Tube map, transport minister John Speller pledged this week.

In an exclusive interview with the Croydon Guardian as he rode the town's tram network, minister for transport John Speller pledged that West Croydon would feature on the new tube network scheduled to be up and running by 2006.

As he rode the Tramlink loop from East Croydon via New Addington on the morning of Monday November 26, Mr Speller explained: "The southern leg of the East London Line extension will definitely go ahead, linking Croydon with Canary Wharf and opening it right up to the rest of London."

He added: "The work has already started in the Surrey Quays area."

Commenting on the new 13-acre, multi-million pound second gateway to the town at West Croydon proposed by Croydon Council in conjunction with the Strategic Rail Authority, London Buses, Tramtrack and GoVia, Mr Speller said the tube station would play a crucial role in bringing reality to the term "integrated transport".

The West Croydon interchange would be a breath of fresh air for passengers who would be able to hop on a train, bus, tram, or tube all from one station.

He added: "It will be an overwhelmingly practical interchange which will happen to look very nice too."

It was Mr Speller's first trip on Croydon's tram, but having travelled on similar systems in the Midlands, he made a positive comparison.

He said: "I must say I'm very impressed with the service, and the scenery, and am surprised by the number of passengers using it.

"To see a packed tram mid-morning on a Monday shows that this is a very successful scheme and one that is satisfying a real need."

Asked whether Tramlink would be extended to the north and south of the borough, he said Croydon would be considered for funding along with proposals from all over the country.

"We have to take into account that there are areas which don't have a tram at all, but at the same time we realise we need to build on existing successes," he said.

December 3, 2001 16:30