Then a thriving market town of around 20,000 inhabitants on the southern fringe of London, Croydon was first connected with the railway network in 1839 when the
London and Croydon Railway opened a station (now
West Croydon) on London Road. Two years later, the
London and Brighton Railway opened a station (now
East Croydon) on the other side of town. Both stations were a fair distance from the town centre and the local
stage coach, previously the dominant mode of transport but now undercut by the railway, sought to create new business by ferrying passengers to and from the stations. This situation prevailed until 1863 when, under pressure to provide a more convenient station, the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) (formed in 1846 by a merger of the Brighton and Croydon companies) promoted the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Additional Powers) Bill which, amongst other matters, sought authorisation for the construction of a
branch from East Croydon to Katharine Street, where a new "Central Station" would be built. The Act passed into law on 29 July 1864 and the LBSCR began purchasing the necessary land, a whole block between the present-day Mint Walk and Katharine Street up to the High Street. The line and station were initially intended to approach Katharine Street at an angle, but a realignment of the route made it parallel with Katharine Street, reducing the amount of land needed. The plot of land to the west of Park Street was purchased for £11,217 and a contract was awarded to Messrs John T Chappell of
Steyning to construct the line and station for £4,089. The branch left the
Brighton Main Line just south of George Street and curved sharply west, where the
Fairfield Halls are today. It passed under Park Lane, through the present-day
Queen's Gardens to the site of the
Croydon Clocktower and Town Hall. == Operations ==