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Tuesday 23 Aug 2022

Major changes to trains at Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge as Network Rail engineers tackle long weekend of major engineering in South East London, Kent and Sussex

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

Network Rail engineers will be packing their tools instead of barbecues for a long weekend of major engineering work in South London, Kent and East Sussex this August Bank Holiday. 

And a major project to replace worn-out points and track at New Cross will mean changes to trains into the heart of London over all three days, with no trains to Charing Cross or Cannon Street on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August. A limited service from Hastings/Tonbridge to London Bridge will run on all three days and on Monday trains will run into Cannon St from the Greenwich line, while Charing Cross will remain closed. 

Points, which allow trains to cross from one track to another, can be source of serious disruption when they get old and tired, and replacing them will make big difference to reliability of trains on the important route into London.  

Network Rail’s route director for Kent, Fiona Taylor, said: “We know passengers often experience disruption on the busy route from Lewisham and New Cross into London and our work this weekend will be a really important part of our ongoing £1.25bn programme of improvements to the railway in the area.   

“It’s impossible to do this scale of work overnight as we’re digging up a huge junction where lines cross each other, which will take all three days, so I apologise if you were hoping to travel into Charing Cross this weekend. There will be other routes into central London open from Kent and the South East, via Blackfriars and Victoria, so do check before you travel and make sure you know your alternative journeys.” 

Southeastern’s Operations and Safety Director, Scott Brightwell, said: “Our advice to our passengers is to check before you travel over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It will still be possible to travel in and out of central London, however, your journey will change. And while there’s never a good time to complete this work, doing so now will mean fewer people face disruption to their journeys.” 

In addition to the work at New Cross, a project to install new signalling and control equipment in South London will mean no services on the railway around West Norwood, including Streatham, Peckham Rye, Herne Hill and Tulse Hill. 

Further afield, a bridge is being replaced on the railway from Ashford to Hastings, with trains starting and terminating at Ore, and buses on the rest of the line, over all three days of the weekend. 

For full details of train services and travel advice, please check on NationalRail.co.uk or https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/travel-information/live-travel-information/planned-engineering-work