After 13 years of planning and 3 years of building, the Tramlink network arrived in South London earlier this year. It covers 18 miles and 38 stops including Wimbledon, Mitcham Junction, Elmers End, Beckenham and Croydon. Its fleet of 24 single-deck trams run from a depot on the Wimbledon branch.

This stretch runs through Mitcham on the Wimbledon to West Croydon line. It closely follows the alignment of the original Surrey Iron Railway.

Old Mitcham Station

In 1803, the Surrey Iron Railway was opened in Mitcham. It was the first public railway to be sanctioned by Parliament and made Mitcham the first place in the world to be served by a public railway. It used horse drawn wagons to carry coal from the Thames at Wandsworth as far as Croydon. On the way back from Croydon to Wandsworth, these wagons carried flour, copper, paper and the town's most famous product - Mitcham Lavender. The Georgian station at Mitcham is still in use, and is one of the oldest railway stations in the world.