Network Rail to replace 1861 Selhurst Road bridge in Croydon over Christmas and New Year

Network Rail will replace the 1861-built railway bridge over Selhurst Road in Croydon between 12 December and 10 January, closing the road to all traffic after buried utility pipes ruled out a crane lift.

The infrastructure owner said on 3 November that the Victorian-era structure had been repaired several times and could no longer be kept in service. The new bridge will be assembled on site and moved into position between 27 December and 2 January, which Network Rail described as the most intensive phase of the job.

Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex Route Director for Network Rail, said: "We have carried out multiple repairs to the Selhurst Road railway bridge, but it has now reached the end of its serviceable life and needs to be replaced."

Why a crane will not be used

During planning, Network Rail said, engineers found underground utility pipes beneath the road, which means a conventional heavy-lift crane cannot be used safely for the installation.

Instead, the existing bridge will be taken out and the new structure installed using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), which Network Rail describes as remotely controlled vehicles designed to move extremely heavy structures safely and precisely.

The company acknowledged that the method needs a longer road closure than a crane lift, but said it was both the safest and most practical solution for this site. The alternative to a single holiday-period closure, it said, would have been a series of weekend closures spread over many months.

Some activities, including removing the old bridge and installing the new one, will run around the clock, according to Network Rail.

The road closures

Selhurst Road beneath the railway bridge will be fully closed to vehicles and pedestrians from 08:00 on Saturday 12 December 2026 until 17:00 on Sunday 10 January 2027. Network Rail said there will be no vehicle or pedestrian access under the bridge while the closure is in place, though pedestrian access on either side of the bridge will always be available.

Edith Road will be closed to vehicles for the same period, with pedestrian access maintained. Network Rail's project page says pedestrians will reach properties on either side of the bridge by segregated, signed walking routes.

Network Rail said it is working with Croydon Council, emergency services and other local partners on access arrangements and on keeping the community informed.

McAuliffe said: "we really do need to do this work at a time of year when we will cause the least inconvenience to people, especially as there are fewer people travelling to work during the holiday season."

Trains and the station

Selhurst station will remain open throughout the works, Network Rail said, although it urged rail passengers travelling over Christmas and New Year to check before they travel. Changes to train services on days when Crystal Palace are playing at home will be announced nearer the time.

The Sussex programme

The Selhurst Road bridge replacement is listed under Network Rail's Sussex Railway Upgrades, a £900m programme of investment between 2024 and 2029. That programme includes £90m on replacing or refurbishing structures across the route, as well as replacing the 1980s signalling on the Arun Valley Line and between Selhurst and East Croydon. Network Rail has not published a cost for the Selhurst Road bridge itself.

Network Rail describes the Sussex route, which includes the Brighton Main Line and its branch lines, as among the busiest and most congested in the country, carrying 3,200 trains every weekday. In its general guidance on bridge works, the company says replacing bridges allows trains to run more frequently, safely and reliably well into the future.

The job follows an earlier bridge replacement nearby. The Tennison Road bridge, which spans the London Bridge to East Croydon main line and is approached from Selhurst Road, replaced a structure that had served the area since 1922. Network Rail said the new Tennison Road bridge was slowly edged into position in December 2014.

The Selhurst Road closure starts at 08:00 on 12 December 2026 and is due to lift at 17:00 on 10 January 2027.