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Engineers will be undertaking preparatory work for the Victoria resignalling programme over the early May bank holiday weekend
Engineers will be undertaking preparatory work for the Victoria resignalling programme over the early May bank holiday weekend

Press release -

Rail customers in South London, Sussex and Kent are urged to plan ahead of the Early May Bank Holiday

Network Rail have issued the following press release about planned engineering work affecting Southern and Thameslink services over the early May bank holiday weekend:

Rail customers in South London, Sussex and Kent are urged to plan ahead of the Early May Bank Holiday as Network Rail gets set to undertake essential planned engineering work. Two weeks today there will be a number of planned upgrades and routine maintenance to the railway and any customers intending to travel by train over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend are urged to plan ahead.

Between Farringdon and Loughborough Junction, Blackfriars and Herne Hill as well as between Battersea Pier and Factory Junction, Network Rail will be carrying out some preparatory work in relation to the Victoria resignalling progamme. The work includes installation of new signalling equipment and testing, and is part of a major package of upgrades to modernise 1980s track and signalling on the South London lines into London Victoria.

As a result, on Sunday 5 May no Thameslink services will run to or from Wimbledon and Sutton, and Sevenoaks services will be amended to run from London Victoria instead of London Blackfriars.

Work between Shepherd’s Bush and Watford Junction means there will be no Southern service on that route between 20.00 on Saturday 4 May and midday on Sunday 5 May, or on Sunday evening from 21.00. Tickets will be accepted on London Underground.

Almost all of the Southeastern routes are open over the bank holiday weekend but on Sunday 5 May between Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood, engineering teams will be carrying out earthworks, vegetation clearance, tunnel works and track maintenance. An accessible bus service will be running from Sevenoaks to Paddock Wood, and from Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells.

Also on the Sunday between Sole Street / Strood and Rainham there is track refurbishment taking place and engineers are carrying out track maintenance, vegetation clearance, structure examination and drainage works. Buses are available between Meopham and Rainham, and between Strood and Rainham.

From the early hours of Sunday 5 May to the early hours of Monday 6 May, between Barnham and Havant junction there will be vegetation clearance, rail and structure inspections and routine track maintenance. Rail replacement buses will operate. Services that normally run to/from Brighton and London to Portsmouth and Southampton will be diverted to/from Bognor Regis.

At West Sutton, there are emergency earthworks to repair a landslip next to the line, where a resident’s land is slipping and presents a risk to the railway. Engineers have been working to stabilise the embankment by installing piling over weekends in April and they will be continuing the works over the Early May Bank Holiday to stabilise the embankment. Customers will be able to use their tickets on local buses.

Overnight on Sunday 5 May, teams will be carrying out routine track maintenance, vegetation clearance and structures work in the Balham area. There will be a late-night rail replacement bus service in operation.

On the lines between Redhill / Tonbridge / Sevenoaks / Paddock Wood, teams will be working from early Sunday morning until early Monday morning to carry out embankment works and electrification works in various locations, most of which are in preparation for main works later in the year. Buses will replace Southern trains between Redhill and Tonbridge all day on Sunday.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “Over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend our engineers will be working hard across a number of work sites to complete a range of important maintenance and upgrades to keep the railway running safely and reliably.

“There is never a good time to close part of the railway but the long weekend allows us to complete a large amount of work simultaneously which is less disruptive to our rail customers.

“I’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while we complete this work and urge anyone intending to travel by rail over the bank holiday weekend to please plan ahead as and check before travelling.”

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern Operations and Safety Director, said: “We are running almost a full service over this bank holiday weekend and customers can travel to all the great destinations on our route. We do have some timetable changes on the Sunday but there are bus services running between the affected stations. As always please check before you travel and enjoy the long weekend wherever you are going.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “Network Rail’s essential improvements and repairs over the Bank Holiday weekend will affect a number of Southern and Thameslink services in Kent, Hampshire and South London, so we are grateful to our customers for their patience and understanding. Buses will replace trains on some routes, so please allow extra time when planning your journey, and remember to double-check before you set off.”

Passengers are urged to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk

Notes to Editors

Changes to train services over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend 4 – 6 May

Southeastern

Saturday 4 May – A booked Saturday service will operate on all lines.

Sunday 5 May – Numerous changes to services.

Monday 6 May – A booked Saturday service will operate on all lines

Engineering work | Southeastern (southeasternrailway.co.uk)

Southern

From 20:00 on Saturday 5 until 12:00 noon on Sunday 6 May, and from 21:00 on Sunday evening until the end of service, no Southern trains will run between Shepherd's Bush and Watford Junction. Ticket acceptance will be in place on TfL Underground trains

From 01:20 until 06:35 on Sunday, trains which normally run between London Victoria and Three Bridges / Brighton will run to/from London Bridge. Replacement buses will run between London Victoria and London Bridge to connect with rail services.

Additionally, the 06:27 Selhurst to London Victoria service will start from Balham. A rail replacement bus will run between Selhurst and Clapham Junction, calling at Thornton Heath, Norbury, Streatham Common, Balham, Wandsworth Common and Clapham Junction.

All day on Sunday, a revised service will run between:

  • London Victoria and East Croydon
  • London Victoria and Epsom Downs via Crystal Palace
  • London Victoria and East Grinstead, calling additionally at Selhurst.

All day on Sunday, buses replace trains between Havant / Barnham and Southampton Central. Trains which usually run between Brighton and Southampton Central / Portsmouth Harbour and between London Victoria and Portsmouth Harbour will be diverted and run to / from Bognor Regis. If you're travelling to Southampton Central / Portsmouth Harbour, please change at Barnham for the replacement buses.

All day on Sunday, buses will replace trains between Redhill and Tonbridge.

Thameslink

On Sunday 5 May:

  • no trains will run between Gravesend and Rainham. An amended Thameslink service will run between Luton and Gravesend. Thameslink customers can use Southeastern replacement buses between Gravesend and Rainham.
  • no Thameslink services will run to/from Sutton / Wimbledon. Southern trains, London Buses/Trams/Underground to complete journeys.
  • Thameslink services between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks will be amended to run between London Victoria and Sevenoaks. London Underground services can be used between London Blackfriars and London Victoria.

Engineering work between Haywards Heath and Brighton will affect some Thameslink services. Between 01:15 and 08:15 on Sunday, and between 23:35 on Sunday and 05:00 on Monday, buses will replace trains between Haywards Heath and Brighton. Please note that this work also affects some late-night Saturday services.

On Monday 6 May, apart from the above, a Saturday service will operate on Thameslink.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Rob Breckon
Senior Communications Manager - Southern
Network Rail
07395 390759
rob.breckon@networkrail.co.uk

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For more information, contact the press office on 0203 750 2031.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:

  • Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
  • Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
  • Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
  • Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria

www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com

Govia Thameslink Railway

United Kingdom