Train services between Woolwich, Charlton and Lewisham will be disrupted again for ten weeks this spring and summer as engineers work to fix a leaky rail tunnel under Blackheath.
Network Rail has confirmed the line between Charlton and Blackheath will be closed from May 19 to July 27. Most trains will be diverted via the Greenwich line, where passengers can change for the DLR to Lewisham, with some rush-hour services running via Bexleyheath instead.
Paper rail tickets will be accepted on the 54, 380 and SL3 buses, while passengers with accessibility needs will be offered taxis.
The 175-year-old tunnel is prone to leaks and water damage, with “wet beds” along the line – sections of track where the ground is waterlogged, causing bumpy rides for passengers. Drainage systems will be rebuilt as part of the £10 million project, brickwork replaced and essential track works carried out.
A similar closure last year involved using giant vacuum cleaners to shift decades of soot from the tunnel. No lengthy closure is expected next year but further works are expected in summer 2027.
Network Rail’s Kent route director, David Davidson, said: “We are carrying out the repairs over a series of ten-week closures because working in cramped and narrow tunnels is incredibly difficult. If traditional weekend working was used engineers would spend at least 50 per cent of a weekend bringing materials and plant in and out of the tunnel, leaving limited time for actual work.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the closure, but this is a long-term project and this will be the last closure until we are back in to finish over summer 2027.
“When the tunnel is repaired with water damaged infrastructure replaced and the tunnel waterproofed, passengers will benefit from fewer delays, fewer speed restrictions and improved reliability.”
Southeastern says that services through the tunnel are used by about 3,500 passengers a week between Lewisham and Abbey Wood. There have been no services on Sunday since December 2022 because of government cutbacks, and Southeastern has said the situation is unlikely to be reversed soon.
More details about the tunnel closure are on the Southeastern website.
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