Media centre

Tuesday 25 Nov 2014

Four weeks to go before cross-London Thameslink trains stop calling at London Bridge rail station

Region & Route:

| Southern

With only four weeks to go until cross-London Thameslink services stop calling at London Bridge railway station for three years, passengers are being urged to plan their alternative routes.

Up to 750,000 journeys will be affected every day across the southeast as Network Rail continues to rebuild London Bridge station as part of the £6.5bn government sponsored Thameslink Programme, which will allow more trains and better reliability on one of Europe’s busiest rail routes.

From Saturday 20 December 2014 until 2018, cross-London Bedford to Brighton Thameslink trains will take a different route around London Bridge to make way for the building work. Other Thameslink services return to London Bridge on 5 January 2015 – but only between London Bridge and Brighton, and on a reduced basis.

Keith Jipps, Customer Service Director for Thameslink, said: “We’re working hard together to make sure our passengers get the best travel advice and help during this massive project. We’ll have more staff out to help and lots of information – please check before you travel at ThameslinkProgramme.co.uk.”

Over Christmas, more than 1,200 Network Rail engineers will work around the clock, even on Christmas Day, to work on the station, opening new platforms for Southern services and modernising nearby track and signalling equipment that has been in use since the 1970s.

When the Programme is complete in 2018, Thameslink trains will no longer have to share platforms and tracks with other operators. Instead they will have dedicated platforms and a clear route through the station allowing a full service in the rush hour and an end to the bottleneck that delays services today.

Passengers can still reach their intended destination during the work – and the Underground station is unaffected - but they may need to modify their route and their journey may be busier and take longer than usual. Detailed travel advice has been published on ThameslinkProgramme.co.uk.

Simon Blanchflower, Thameslink programme director, said: “In the long run our work here will improve the journeys of millions of passengers across the south, but we understand that until we’ve finished some people may have to change their journey to or from London.

“We’ve worked very hard to make sure there are alternative routes so please plan ahead and find one that works for you. Thank you again for your patience.”

Ticketing:

For passengers affected between Saturday 20 December and Sunday 4 January, valid National Rail tickets will be accepted on certain routes on London Overground, Thameslink, Southern, Southeastern, South West Trains, London Underground, Tramlink, DLR and London Buses.

From January to the end of August 2016, National Rail tickets to and from London terminals issued by Southeastern, Thameslink, Southern and South West trains will be accepted at limited Underground stations in South London without extra charge.

London Bridge Underground station is not affected by the work.

Some season tickets which expire after 4 January 2015 will need to be reissued to allow them to be used at selected Transport for London ticket gates. Operators are contacting season ticket holders to advise them of the process.

To plan your journey and check where your ticket will be accepted, visit ThameslinkProgramme.co.uk