Two major London railway stations to close for 22 days during £20 million upgrade

Commuters in London should expect disruption this summer as two major railway stations shut as part of a £20 million track upgrade.

London Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations will be closed for 22 days from 26 July to 16 August.

According to Southeastern Railway, the closures will allow the operator to complete a “once-in-a-generation £20 million programme of track, platform and structures upgrades”.

The “essential improvements” include 1,800 metres of new track, upgraded track drainage at Waterloo East station, rebuilt platforms at Charing Cross and structural repairs on the 175-year-old Hungerford Bridge.

Southeastern services into Charing Cross will be diverted to London Victoria, London Cannon Street and London Blackfriars, with some services terminating at London Bridge.

Tickets will be accepted on any reasonable route on the London Underground, on the Thameslink between Elephant and Castle, London Bridge and St Pancras International, and on Southern services to and from London Bridge and Victoria.

Travellers can claim refunds for all ticket types using a claim form available from Sunday 26 July.

“Doing the work when schools are closed, and commuter numbers are approximately 20 per cent lower, means we can move people safely and reliably via alternative routes,” said Southeastern.

Trains will also call at neither station between 18 to 19 July, 22 and 23 August and 10 and 11 October.

Southeastern said: “The main driver for the 22-day closure is the replacement of the track. It was last replaced in the early 1990s and is now increasingly unreliable.

“Recent faults have caused over 21,000 minutes (350 hours) of delays to customers. Without intervention, faults and delays would continue to increase, causing more frustration for commuters.”

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