UNBLOCKING bottlenecks at East Croydon station and the complex junction north of the station could release up to eight new trains an hour on the Brighton Mainline.

This could help to secure 13,000 new jobs by 2025, according to a report published yesterday by two former ministers.

The report – commissioned by the Gatwick Growth Board - recommends that East Croydon station is redesigned to create two new platforms – and that flyovers are used to untangle Windmill Bridge Junction where routes to London Bridge and London Victoria divide.

Without these changes both bottlenecks will prevent the full capacity on the BML being realised and will continue to affect the performance of existing services.

The report also highlights the urgency of securing this project as the land required could be lost to the significant developments planned as part of the major regeneration of Croydon.

Jointly chaired by former Transport Secretary, Steve Norris, and the minister who delivered the London Olympics, Baroness Tessa Jowell, the Gatwick Growth Board has an objective of ensuring that areas across the region capture the regeneration benefit from the growth of Gatwick Airport.

Steve Norris, Gatwick Growth Board Co-Chair, said: “Poor connectivity and transport links are a barrier to sustainable growth across the region, including new housing and the creation of 13,000 new jobs.

“The £6 billion Thameslink improvements go live next year and will dramatically improve the vital rail corridor connecting Croydon, Gatwick and the south coast but the full benefits of this scheme will not be realised until the bottlenecks at Croydon are removed.

“This work supports the Government’s new industrial strategy but it must start now to secure these improvements otherwise the land will be lost and it will be too late.”

Peter Kyle, Hove MP and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary group on Southern Rail, said: “Passengers have experienced awful service for a number of years but when the existing dispute is resolved we cannot escape the need to fundamentally upgrade the rail infrastructure for the whole region.

“Unblocking the bottlenecks in and around East Croydon station will future-proof capacity and improve performances for anyone travelling to or from the South Coast.”

Jonathan Sharrock, chief executive, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, said the Brighton mainline upgrade is fundamental to the future prosperity.