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Tuesday 8 Mar 2022

Queen Victoria’s least-favourite railway tunnel set to be modernised this summer as Network Rail plans week-long shutdown through Penge Tunnel, South London

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

Over nine days, between Saturday 23 and Sunday 31 July 2022, Network Rail engineers will replace the tracks through Penge Tunnel, between Brixton and Beckenham Junction in South London, to improve reliability.

It is said that Queen Victoria, the first monarch to travel by train, really didn’t like travelling through tunnels, especially the 1.25mile long Penge Tunnel. So much so that an entire overground ‘loop’ was constructed via Catford so that journeys could be made between Bromley and Victoria, avoiding it altogether!

Although Queen Victoria may not have approved, this £4.55million project to enhance the lifespan of the tunnel is a vote of confidence in Victorian engineering. Engineers will be replacing 3,970 metres of track using engineering trains, road-rail vehicles and other heavy machinery to complete the work.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s Kent route director, said: “We understand that it’s frustrating for passengers to hear those dreaded announcements about signalling or track faults - older track is more prone to problems and so needs more maintenance.

“That’s really challenging to do at Penge because the tunnel is 1.25 miles long. Lifting and replacing track inside the tunnel’s tight confines is no mean feat.

“We recognise this major work will be disruptive for passengers, but it’s important we get it done as quickly as possible.

“Most of the track, including the rail sleepers and ballast, are now over 30 years old and some even dates back to the early 1970s - making it more than half a century old in places.

“The end result will really make a difference to passengers, with the new track providing more reliable journeys for many years to come.”

Scott Brightwell, Train Services Director for Southeastern Railway, said:

“We know there’s never a good time to do it, but this essential work by Network Rail is vital to ensure smoother and more punctual train journeys in south London for many years to come, as we win back our customers and reverse the shift from public transport to cars that occurred during the pandemic.

“We know people will want to plan ahead, so we’ll make sure that our passengers travelling between Brixton and Beckenham Junction are well informed with advice about alternative routes to make their journeys over this nine-day period as smooth as possible”.

This £4.55m project is part of the wider £1.25billion South East Upgrade programme to invest in the railway across the Kent route.