Rail passengers in Sussex and Surrey reminded to plan ahead and check before travelling over the festive period due to planned engineering work

There will be a number of planned upgrades to the railway over the festive period, as part of a wider £127m programme of investment across the country.

In South London, from Saturday, December 23 to Monday, January 1 – as well as the weekends of January 6-7 and 13-14, 2024 – the line between Herne Hill, Brixton and London Victoria will be closed to allow Network Rail engineers to deliver a major package of investment to the railway.

During this time Southeastern services will be diverted into either Blackfriars, Cannon Street or Charing Cross and buses will replace London Overground trains between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction.

Over the ten-day period, engineers will work around the clock to deliver track upgrades, signalling improvements as well as carry out further work to install extra gatelines at London Victoria station which will provide passengers with less congested and smoother journeys through the station.

The track upgrades involve the rebuild of a major junction between Clapham and Wandsworth that controls the movement of Southeastern and London Overground services in the area.

Engineers will be replacing 14 sets of switches and crossings – the moveable sections of track that guide trains from one side to another – with new, more reliable equipment, as well as laying more than 1,600m of new track, 1,000m of conductor rail, using 10,000 tonnes of ballast and installing 2,600 new sleepers.

Work to upgrade the 1980s signalling system between Herne Hill and Nunhead into London Victoria station will also continue, ready to come into use around late December 2024.

At London Victoria station, engineers will continue installing new ticket gates to reduce gateline crowding and speed up journeys. Passengers will see a phased introduction of the new ticket gates and the wider project will be completed by summer 2024.

Work in the Norwood area from Wednesday 27 to Thursday, December 28 will mean that shuttle services will operate between Purley and Tattenham Corner, and between Purley and Caterham; and buses will replace trains between Crystal Palace and West Croydon.

Buses will also replace trains between Oxted and Uckfield from Wednesday 27 to Thursday, December 28 to allow engineers to carry out track upgrades between Hurst Green and Uckfield, where engineers will be installing additional blocks alongside the railway to strengthen the cutting and protect the railway from falling debris and landslips.

Passengers planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve in London are reminded that no Southeastern services will be operating in and out of London Victoria station due to planned engineering work, with services diverted into either Blackfriars, Cannon Street or Charing Cross stations.

Southern will be running a normal Sunday service and passengers are advised to check the time of the last train home and plan ahead. Thameslink will operate an overnight service between Three Bridges and Bedford.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s Southern regional managing director, said: “We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out this programme of investment across south London and parts of Kent and Sussex this festive period.

“We know that there is never a good time to close the railway, but passenger numbers are a lot lower at this time of year which is why we try to pack as much work in as possible and reduce disruption.

“There will be varying changes to train services during this time, so we are advising passengers to plan ahead and check the latest travel information with their train operator or National Rail.”

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s operations and safety director, added: “This crucial work by Network Rail over the festive period will help to deliver better, more reliable journeys in future.

“We’re reminding our customers that their normal train could be routed into either London Blackfriars, Cannon Street or Charing Cross, and that their usual journey may take longer.

“Our message to customers travelling into Victoria over the festive period, particularly if you’re planning a trip to see family or friends or heading out on New Year’s Eve is to please, check before you travel. You can do this by using the journey planners on the Southeastern app or website.”

Jenny Saunders, Govia Thameslink Railway’s customer services director, said: “We’ve worked closely with Network Rail to provide as full a service as possible for customers travelling over the festive period, and we thank customers for their understanding.

“Please check your journeys throughout the period, including this week before Christmas when we expect services to be particularly busy.

“Do please also allow plenty of extra time, especially where services are finishing early, or replacement buses are running.”