A key rail connection between Charlton and Blackheath will be closed for 10 weeks in the summer as part of a £10 million project to repair a leaky 175-year-old tunnel.

Southeastern and Network Rail bosses confirmed the closure on Thursday night as they were quizzed by Greenwich councillors in their annual meeting about local transport services.

While the last meeting was full of residents furious about government-imposed cuts to Southeastern Metro services, Thursday’s gathering was lightly attended — and contained news of some boosts to services.

But passengers will face upheaval from June 1 to August 11 when the Blackheath tunnel is closed, cutting the direct rail link between Woolwich and Lewisham. Most trains will be diverted via Greenwich and tickets will be accepted on the DLR and buses.

Repairs will also be carried out to the bridge over the railway at Victoria Way in Charlton. 

Network Rail’s Kent route director David Davidson warned that the closure would be an “ongoing project for a number of years”, with the tunnel increasingly prone to water damage.

Blackheath tunnel with workmen looking at hole patched up with wood
Councillors were shown a photograph of damage to the tunnel. Image: Network Rail

“We’ve chosen that time because there are less people using the railway and it is drier, which makes it easier for us,” he said. 

Brickwork would be repaired, concrete lining put in, and construction shafts dating from the construction of the tunnel in the 1840s would be filled in, he said.

But there was some better news for Southeastern Metro  passengers:

  • From June 3, Greenwich line rail services operated by Southeastern and Thameslink will be more evenly-spaced, with gaps of 13 and 17 minutes between services on Mondays to Saturdays, rather than 7 and 23 minutes as now.  Trains will also return to running every 10 minutes in the morning rush hour.  
  • Most Bexleyheath line trains will now run through to Gravesend, replacing Woolwich line trains which will terminate at Dartford. On late Saturday evenings, Bexleyheath line trains will leave from Charing Cross rather than Cannon Street.
  • Sidcup line services will remain at every 15 minutes, but Albany Park station will now have four trains per hour after being cut back to just two.
  • More station staff are being recruited and gatelines will now be kept closed until 10pm at stations including Eltham, New Eltham and Woolwich Arsenal to combat antisocial behaviour. This follows the scrapping of government-led plans to close ticket offices last year.
  • Repair work will take place at Greenwich, Deptford, Maze Hill, Woolwich Arsenal and Lewisham stations.

Southeastern’s director of operations, Scott Brightwell, told the regeneration, transport and culture scrutiny panel that in the long term, Southeastern hoped to return “rounder” services linking the Sidcup and Greenwich lines, but only in peak hours, and to bring in more Charing Cross trains for the Bexleyheath line, if there was funding. 

“Our ambition is to deliver a high-performing metro system,” he said. The Greenwich line changes would benefit 90,000 passengers a day, he added. 

“This package will increase revenue, so it’s a good news story.”

Southeastern Class 376 train
Contracts still have not been signed to refurbish the 20-year-old Class 376 trains Image: The Greenwich Wire

Brightwell said that Southeastern – which also serves Kent and East Sussex – had recorded its busiest day since the pandemic on February 15, with 395,000 entries and exits recorded at its London terminals, while passenger numbers as a whole were up 9 per cent on a year ago.

But he said that the company, which is run by the government, still needed a £1 million-per-day subsidy.

“Our way of reducing subsidies is to encourage more growth on our network, not manage decline, so I’m really really pleased to report the growth in passenger numbers,” he said. 

While two more newer City Beam trains are due to come onto the network soon, a contract to refurbish the tired Class 376 trains – which still bear the yellow colour scheme of Connex, which operated the network more than 20 years ago – has not yet been struck.

Brightwell told Plumstead Common councillor Nas Asghar: “We do have challenges with value for money … I can’t give you a timescale for that, only that it is in flow.”

Networker train at London Bridge
The Networker trains now have to have parts specially-made, Brightwell said. Image: The Greenwich Wire

Plans to replace the Networker trains, which were first introduced in 1992, are also still being worked through.

Brightwell said: “We need to find out what offers the best value for taxpayers, which could include doing up the old train, it could include cascading trains from somewhere else or it could involve new trains.

“The [Networker] trains are so old that the engineering director is having to manufacture bespoke parts that you can no longer buy, and that gets very, very expensive. I’d liken it to having a car where it gets to an age where it’s cheaper to get a new one.

“We believe the business case will identify the best option for the metro routes.”

Mural outside Charlton station reading "This way to The Valley"
Charlton fans are facing parking restrictions around The Valley. Image: The Greenwich Wire

Questioned by Charlton Hornfair councillor Lakshan Saldin on whether Southeastern could do more to help Charlton Athletic fans get to matches from Kent in the light of parking restrictions around The Valley, Brightwell said he would be happy to consider ideas.

“We look at the number and the volumes and we’re happy to work with football clubs,” he said. 

“There doesn’t appear to be enough patronage to warrant additional services to Charlton from other routes. But if I can prove a case where trains will make more money than they cost, I’d be really, really pleased to work together on that.”

The full Network Rail-Southeastern presentation can be seen on the Greenwich Council website – scroll to the foot of the page.