Media centre

Monday 4 Jan 2016

New viaduct comes into use as trains return to Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Waterloo East after Thameslink Programme’s Christmas and New Year work

Region & Route:

| Southern

After 10 days of engineering work, a new viaduct has been brought into use at London Bridge, carrying trains to Charing Cross and Waterloo East.

It’s all part of the Thameslink Programme’s rebuilding of the railway and station at London Bridge. The 10-day project this Christmas, which saw no Southeastern trains calling at London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, also included the introduction of new track and signalling and the transfer of control from London Bridge to Three Bridges operating centre.

A video of the work can be found here.

Thameslink Programme director Simon Blanchflower said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience this Christmas and New Year while we brought our new viaduct and signalling system into use. With fewer passengers travelling than at other times of year, Christmas gives us the best opportunity to do this kind of major work.

“By opening Borough Viaduct, we have been able to take two existing tracks out of use for rebuilding, which is a crucial step in the ongoing reconstruction of London Bridge station. Platforms alongside those new tracks are rapidly taking shape and we are looking forward to opening new station concourse in August this year.”

Southeastern’s Managing Director David Statham said: “The Thameslink programme is a major series of improvement works to rebuild London Bridge station and to improve the railway for passengers for years to come.

“The work that took place over the Christmas period to bring a new viaduct into use meant we were unable to serve some of our main central London stations for ten days. I would like to say that I am extremely grateful to our passengers for their patience while this important work was carried out.”

The Christmas work at London Bridge was part of a £150m investment nationally by Network Rail, as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan. More than 20,000 men and women worked through Christmas and New Year at more than 500 worksites.

Charing Cross trains are now running across the new Borough Viaduct, which was put in place in 2011. Those trains have been running through London Bridge without stopping since January 2015, but when the first half of the new London Bridge concourse opens after August this year, those services will begin calling again, using brand new fully-accessible platforms.

At the same time, Cannon Street trains will begin running through London Bridge without stopping, as their platforms will be taken out of use for rebuilding.

NOTES

In addition to the work at London Bridge, Network Rail also completed a major junction renewal on the Brighton Main Line at Purley.

Signalling on the lines from Charing Cross and Waterloo East into London Bridge has been completely renewed and is now controlled from Three Bridges ROC in Sussex. Cannon Street is still controlled from London Bridge ASC.

About Thameslink 
Network Rail is delivering the Thameslink Programme to transform north-south travel through London. When complete in 2018 it will give passengers:

• New spacious trains running every 2 to 3 minutes through central London in the peak
• Improved connections and better options to more destinations on an expanded Thameslink network including Cambridge and Peterborough
• Robust tracks and signalling offer more reliable journeys
• A completely rebuilt London Bridge station with more space and great facilities

London Bridge facts

• Over 120 million people a year go to London Bridge or through it to Cannon Street and Charing Cross – 56 million start or end their at London Bridge itself
• The new concourse at London Bridge is bigger than the pitch at Wembley, increasing passenger capacity by 65%
• London Bridge will be longer than the Shard is tall From 2018, more frequent services:
  • Between Blackfriars and St Pancras - up to 24 trains per hour in each direction during the peak
  • Between London Bridge and St Pancras - up to 18 Thameslink trains an hour in each direction, during the peak (currently there are none between 7.30 and 9am)
• 178 years old – London Bridge is London’s oldest surviving rail terminus, first opened in Dec 1836