The ‘Croydon bottleneck’ could soon be a thing of the past as a major redevelopment of the railway system through town moves a step closer.

A "major increase" in funding for East Croydon station and the Brighton Mainline has today been announced.

The extra Government funding will be used by Network Rail to end the Bottleneck, which is a major source of delays for the line’s 300,000 passengers.

John Halsall, Network Rail’s south east route managing director, said the redevelopment was the only practical way to improve services.

“The Croydon bottleneck is now the single biggest cause of congestion and delays to passengers on this vital rail artery and means that the railway is now effectively full at the busiest times of day," he said.

"That’s not surprising when you consider that 50 per cent more passengers pass through East Croydon each day than on the busiest parts of the East Coast or West Coast main lines.

“The funding committed by the Department for Transport means we can now draw up detailed designs for the work at East Croydon station and the surrounding railway and get valuable input from the local community to inform our final proposals.”

The money would also be put towards an additional two platforms at East Croydon, from six to eight, and improved junctions to prevent congestion building up as a result of red signals.

Politicians, both Labour and Conservative, were happy to hear of the news.

“Any form of delay currently creates a back log of traffic from trains, as they are forced to wait at red signals, Croydon South MP Chris Philp said.

"This knock-on effect is one of the reasons why service has been so bad for so long.

"With the addition of the new platforms and the improvements to junctions on the line, there will be far fewer delays."

As a result of the funding, Network Rail can now work up designs for the track as well as carry out a public consultation.

This was something Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones was happy to hear.

"I’m pleased to see the funding confirmed for the design phase of this desperately needed upgrade," she said.

"The Croydon bottleneck has been causing havoc for my constituents and for commuters across the south for years.

"It’s the biggest problem on the rail network between London and the south coast.

“It’s good that a full public consultation will take place so our community’s voice is heard. What’s most important is that the Government provides funding for the construction after the design phase, and I’ll be pushing hard in Parliament for this to be confirmed as soon as possible.”