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Wednesday 30 Dec 2020

VIDEO: Neighbours and passengers thanked for their patience as first part of Christmas Lewisham engineering work completed

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

The first part of a crucial improvement to one of South East London’s busiest railways has completed in the heart of Lewisham, with a further three-day project about to get underway.

A junction crossing all four lines from Hither Green into the heart of London was renewed between Christmas Day and Tuesday, 29 December, to improve the reliability of trains in the area. The work involved replacing four sets of points and two diamond crossings, which allow trains to move from one track to another.

Our project manager James Pearce explained more when we met him on Boxing Day:

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. A second, three-day project gets underway on New Year’s Day and will see a junction renewed nearer St John’s, where lines from Lewisham join the main route into town.

Overall, 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.

The final project will see no trains between Lewisham and Hayes and there will also be changes to some services 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: “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 the New Year weekend, consistent with the Government’s advice, please check your journeys.

“We know there is never a good time to carry out major works, so I would like to thank passengers and our lineside neighbours 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.”