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Tuesday 7 Apr 2015

TIMELAPSE: Passengers thanked after Network Rail Easter improvement work means changes to journeys in South London and Kent

Region & Route:

| Southern

Passengers returning to work through London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street railway stations today (Tuesday) are being thanked for their patience after four days of intense work affected journeys over Easter.

Track has been relaid and moved, signals replaced and new equipment installed along several miles of railway stretching from Waterloo East to Bermondsey. Southeastern were unable to run trains through London Bridge over all four days, meaning passengers had to plan alternative routes to Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Waterloo East.

It’s all part of the £6.5bn Thameslink Programme’s project to improve passengers’ journeys to and through London Bridge.

Thameslink Programme Director Simon Blanchflower said: “The work we completed over the Easter holiday was a crucial part of the plan to improve services through central London.

“There is no good time to do this disruptive work but by doing it over the holiday we were able to reduce the impact on the millions of passengers who use London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street every week.

“By moving the track around, we’ve made the space for some more major work out at Bermondsey that will take place later this year. This will provide a new dive-under to separate Thameslink services from those travelling to Charing Cross and improve punctuality and reliability.”

In addition, work to replace 1950s signalling equipment meant there were no trains on lines through the Medway Towns and between Maidstone and Gravesend over Easter.

Richard Dean, Train Services Director at Southeastern, said: "This is important improvement work that will benefit passengers in the long term but we know it will have inconvenienced some over the Easter weekend, I'd like to thank all our passengers for their understanding and patience while Network Rail completed part of its major investment programme to improve the railway."