Picture in Time today is off to the capital again (or Surrey, depending on your opinion!) as we take a look at the Croydon Tramlink system (as it was then) ahead of opening.
It was a little under a month before passengers would be allowed to travel on the trams in Croydon once again when this photo was taken with the date being 15th April 2000 (the New Addington line was first to open on 10th May). The image was taken at a strangely quiet East Croydon – even taking into account the trams hadn’t started operation at this time this is still the main entrance to the railway station in central Croydon! – and shows 2553 (the last of the Bombardier CR4000s) heading east with a training run. Adverts have already been applied to the tram and although it is only a training run the tram is carrying route running numbers which possibly suggests we may be during a period of shadow running before services began.
This scene has changed in the intervening years with the high rise buildings in the background now gone whilst the platform on the right of the photo has seen work with concrete blocks added separating it move definitely from the entrance to the railway station.
Photograph by Tony Sullivan