Passengers are being urged to check before they travel over the festive period as Network Rail’s engineering upgrades will cause changes to services.
From December 23 to New Year’s Day – as well as over the weekends of January 6-7 and 13-14 – the line between Herne Hill, Brixton and London Victoria will be closed to allow Network Rail engineers to make upgrades to the railway.
During this time, Southeastern services will be diverted into either Blackfriars, Cannon Street or Charing Cross, and buses will replace London Overground trains between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction.
Over the 10-day period, engineers will work around the clock to deliver track upgrades and signalling improvements as well as carrying out further work to install extra ticket gates at London Victoria station.
On New Year’s Eve there will be no Southeastern services operating in and out of London Victoria station due to planned engineering work, with services diverted into either Blackfriars, Cannon Street or Charing Cross stations.
Southern will be running a normal Sunday service and passengers should check the time of the last train home and plan ahead. Thameslink will operate an overnight service between Three Bridges and Bedford.
The track upgrades involve the rebuild of a major junction between Clapham and Wandsworth that controls the movement of Southeastern and London Overground services in the area.
Engineers will be replacing 14 sets of switches and crossings – the moveable sections of track that guide trains from one side to another – with new, more reliable equipment, as well as laying more than 1,600 metres of new track, 1,000 metres of conductor rail, using 10,000 tonnes of ballast and installing 2,600 new sleepers.
Work to upgrade the 1980s signalling system between Herne Hill and Nunhead into London Victoria station will also continue, ready to come into use around late December 2024.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s Southern regional managing director, said: “We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out this programme of investment across South London.
“We know that there is never a good time to close the railway, but passenger numbers are a lot lower at this time of year which is why we try to pack as much work in as possible and reduce disruption.
“There will be varying changes to train services during this time, so we are advising passengers to plan ahead and check the latest travel information with their train operator or National Rail.”
Pictured top: Victoria Station (Picture: Network Rail)
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