Kent passengers to face disruption to rail services over the next three weekends

The work is part of Network Rail's investment to replace ageing 1980s rail infrastructure in the county to improve reliability for passengers. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Rail passengers in Kent are being urged to check before they travel as engineering works take place over the next three weekends.

The work is part of Network Rail's investment to replace ageing 1980s rail infrastructure in the county to improve reliability for passengers.

Network Rail's engineers began rebuilding a busy rail junction at New Cross which controls the movement of trains in and out of London Bridge station, last weekend.

The work means that no train services will operate out of London Charing Cross and Waterloo East over the next three weekends. Most Southeastern trains will be diverted into London Victoria and London Blackfriars on: 

  • Saturday 19 and Sunday 21 August

  • Saturday 26 to Monday 28 August - August bank holiday weekend

  • Saturday 2 to Sunday 3 September

Accessible replacement buses will run between Lewisham and Greenwich, calling at St Johns and New Cross.

Passengers can use their ticket on London Underground, at no extra charge, between London Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and Elephant and Castle, and on the Docklands Light Railway between Lewisham and Greenwich.

David Davidson, Network Rail's Kent route director, said: "Over the past four years, we've invested more than a billion pounds into the railway in Kent and South East London, replacing and upgrading 1980s infrastructure to improve reliability for passengers.

"That work continues with this investment at New Cross junction, a key location on the route into London Bridge, controlling the movement of hundreds of trains each day.

"Any incident on the route into London Bridge has a major impact on passengers and it's vital that our infrastructure is as reliable as possible. This vital work will bring tangible benefits for passengers when complete and we'd like to thank passengers for their patience while we undertake these works."

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