Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations will be closed for 22 days during the summer holidays so engineers can replace “increasingly unreliable” old track.

Trains will still run, but will either terminate at London Bridge or be diverted to Victoria, Cannon Street or Blackfriars.

The closure, between July 26 and August 16, includes the first weeks of the school summer break and the start of the football season.

South Eastern Railway, which runs Network Rail’s tracks and Southeastern trains, said the three-week shutdown was chosen to avoid 14 months of weekend closures or four separate nine-day blockades. 

Some 1,800 metres of track will be replaced, while there will be drainage improvements at Waterloo East and structural repairs to Hungerford Bridge, which carries the tracks over the Thames.

South Eastern Railway said the track dated back to the early 1990s and was now “life-expired”. 

“In recent years, faults on the approaches to Charing Cross have caused hundreds of hours of delays,” it said. “Without intervention, these issues would continue to worsen, leading to more delays for customers.”

Southeastern Train at Charing Cross
The tracks into Charing Cross were “life expired”, rail bosses said. Image: The Greenwich Wire

Scott Brightwell, its director of operations and safety, said: “We know closing Charing Cross and Waterloo East for 22 days is a significant change and we’re sorry for the disruption it will cause. This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. We’ve looked long and hard at every possible option and although none of them are without impact, a single summer closure is the least disruptive and most efficient way to carry out this vital work. 

“This section of track is more than 35 years old and has caused thousands of minutes of delays for customers in recent years. By replacing it now, and combining it with platform, drainage and bridge works, we’re tackling the root causes of disruption in one go. This means fewer closures in the future and a more reliable railway for everyone who depends on these routes. 

“We’re working closely with transport partners, local businesses and communities to keep people moving with ticket acceptance on alternative rail routes, London Underground and London buses.  We are committed to ensuring customers are informed, supported and cared for throughout the 22-day closure.”

Brightwell told Greenwich councillors on Wednesday night that there were also plans to close lines at Lewisham over Christmas for resignalling work while lines into Victoria would be closed for works over Christmas 2027.

He also revealed on Wednesday that trains from Charing Cross via Bexleyheath would return to two trains per hour, possibly from December, and that “rounder” trains linking the Sidcup line with the Elizabeth Line at Abbey Wood would also return.

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