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Tuesday 22 Dec 2020

Engineering works bring New Year improvements for passengers in the South East

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

Engineering works at South East London's busiest rail junctions are set to bring more reliable journeys in the New Year.

Engineering works at south east London's busiest rail junctions are set to bring more reliable journeys in the New Year.

Network Rail staff will be working between Christmas and new year to improve the reliability of a crucial stretch of railway in south east London, used by thousands of essential workers every day.

People must follow the latest Government guidance over the Christmas period and stay at home or stay local to help tackle the spread of COVID-19. The new restrictions also mean that people should not travel into or out of London, which is now a Tier 4 area.

The upgrades will keep passengers moving safely and reliably and future proof the railway for the long-term, which is part of the South East Upgrade, a record £1.25bn investment to modernise this part of the network.

The lines through Lewisham and St John’s are some of the most heavily-congested in the country, used by services from both the London suburbs and the Kent coast, and are in need of improvement.

Teams of track workers will be upgrading two key railway junctions there from Christmas day through to Tuesday 29 December, and from 1 January to Sunday 3 January.

The Lewisham upgrade will see the replacement of nearly two miles of track which will be laid on 7,500 tonnes of ballast and 1,460 sleepers. A number of sets of points (which help trains cross from one track to another) will also be renewed as part of an investment programme to replace ageing 1970s infrastructure with more reliable equipment.

During the work there will be no trains between Lewisham and Hayes. There will also be changes to some services on the January dates between Cannon Street and Lewisham, and via Greenwich to Dartford.

To keep essential workers moving when lines are closed replacement buses are in operation and tickets will be accepted via alternative TfL routes. Passengers should also wash their hands often and wear face-coverings, unless exempt.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail's route director for Kent, said: “We are carrying out a number of major engineering projects this Christmas and New Year in order to provide better journeys for our passengers in 2021.

“Our works at Lewisham are particularly key being on the main artery from Kent to London for hundreds of services a day. If you are an essential worker and plan to travel over Christmas, consistent with the Government’s advice, please check your journeys between now and the New Year.

“We know there is never a good time to carry out major works, so I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we make these vital improvements to the railway."

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern train services director, said: "Over Christmas and early January there are going to be some changes to our services while Network Rail carry out vital improvements at two of our busiest junctions near Lewisham. This will help improve reliability and reduce delays for our passengers.”

Passengers can visit the following places for more information: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ www.networkrail.co.uk/LewishamUpgrade or https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/