Passengers travelling with Southeastern this summer are being urged to plan ahead, as London Charing Cross and Waterloo East will close for 22 days for a £20million programme of essential engineering work.
From Sunday 26 July until Sunday 16 August, no Southeastern trains will serve Charing Cross or Waterloo East. Instead, services will operate to London Victoria, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and London Bridge, with revised timetables, altered service frequencies and changes to first and last train times across much of the network.
Routes into London will be available during the work, however customers are encouraged to check their journey before travelling and allow extra time where needed.
Engineers will replace almost two kilometres of 36-year-old track, rebuild sections of platform at Charing Cross, improve drainage, and carry out structural repairs to the Waterloo East–London Waterloo pedestrian link bridge and Hungerford Bridge. This renewal will ensure the railway is fit for decades to come and is part of our wider commitment to delivering a safer, better and more reliable railway, at a reduced cost to taxpayers.
Completing the work in one extended summer holiday closure, when commuter numbers are around 20% lower means we are inconveniencing less passengers overall, and avoids the alternative of having to carry out the work across 60 weekends. ,
Scott Brightwell, Safety, Planning and Performance Director, South Eastern Railway, said:
“We know closing two of London’s busiest stations for more than three weeks will be inconvenient for many of our customers, and we’d like to thank them for their patience while this essential work takes place.
“The good news is that customers will still be able to travel into central London throughout the closure using alternative routes, although journeys and train times will be different.
“Engineers will undertake extensive work to replace track and platforms that have been in use since the 1990s, as well as essential structural repairs, and by carrying out the work in one block, means we’re not needing to close the railway over 60 weekends which would have been the alternative.
“We would encourage everyone travelling during this period to check their journey before travelling and make sure they know the time of their last train home.”
Customers can plan their journeys using the Southeastern journey planner or at www.nationalrail.co.uk and are encouraged to check before travelling. Customers travelling within London are advised to use the TfL Go to TfL ‘Plan a journey’ to plan travel on London Underground, London Buses, and walking and cycling routes for those who are able.
What customers need to know:
During the closure:
- No Southeastern trains will serve London Charing Cross or Waterloo East
- Services that normally run to Charing Cross will instead operate to London Bridge, Cannon Street, Blackfriars or Victoria
- Train times and service frequencies will change across much of the network
- First and last trains will be different on many routes
- Customers should check their journey before travelling and allow extra time where necessary
Ticket acceptance
During the main 22-day closure, ticket holders can use the Jubilee line between London Bridge and Waterloo, and the Circle and District lines between Victoria, Blackfriars or Cannon Street and Embankment.
Ticket holders can also use Thameslink between Elephant and Castle, London Bridge and St Pancras International, and Southern services to London Bridge and Victoria.
Full details of ticket acceptance by ticket type, including acceptance on London Buses and refund information, are available at www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/CharingCrossUpgrades.
Image credit: Network Rail
