London's Charing Cross and Waterloo East rail stations have closed again today for follow-up engineering works, just days after reopening from a 22-day closure for £20,000,000-worth of upgrades. Trains across the Southeastern network are being diverted to other stations across London.
Today's closures and diversions
The engineering work is taking place between London Charing Cross and London Bridge, and on the lines near New Cross used by services to and from Charing Cross. Southeastern routes into Charing Cross will be diverted to London Cannon Street, and trains on the Paddock Wood Line will run hourly and be diverted via Maidstone East due to engineering work on the line via Paddock Wood.
National Rail has confirmed that passengers affected by the changes can use the London Underground between Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Waterloo, Southwark and London Bridge at no extra cost.
More closures scheduled for October
There will be no trains to and from Charing Cross and Waterloo East on the weekend of October 10 to 11, as engineering work is taking place once more between Charing Cross and New Cross. National Rail has confirmed that a reduced service will run between London Bridge and Cannon Street, and trains will be diverted to and from London Victoria.
Replacement buses will also be in operation between Greenwich and Sidcup, Lewisham and Orpington, and Grove Park and Bromley North. New Cross, St Johns, Hither Green, Mottingham, New Eltham, Grove Park, Elmstead Woods, Chislehurst, Sundridge Park (Sunday) and Bromley North (Sunday) stations will all be closed.
Network Rail has urged everyone to check before travelling, as the London Underground also faces disruption across multiple Tube lines.
What was upgraded at the stations?
As part of the £20,000,000 upgrade work, engineers installed around 1,800 metres of new tracks as well as 16 sets of switches and crossings on the heavily used 36-year-old Southeastern line. Track drainage was also upgraded at Waterloo East to 'maintain track quality and a smooth ride' at full line speed.
The country end of the platforms at Charing Cross, whose concrete surfaces are deteriorating, were rebuilt with new foundations and surfaces to 'keep them safe' and open for passengers. Structural repairs were also carried out on the 175-year-old Hungerford Bridge, which takes trains over the Thames, as well as on the pedestrian link between Waterloo East and London Waterloo stations.
At the time, Network Rail said that the current tracks, which were last replaced in the early 1990s, were 'increasingly unreliable' and, if untreated, would ultimately lead to more faults and delays for commuters.
