departures
arrivals
There are also planned engineering works for today Check before travelling
View Planned engineering work
Last updated: 14:10

Service changes in Dec 2023 and Jan 2024

Line closure between Herne Hill, Brixton and Victoria

Over several dates in December this year and January next year the line between Herne Hill, Brixton and London Victoria will be closed, along with Brixton station. Our trains will be diverted to and from Blackfriars, Cannon Street and Charing Cross.

During the closures major improvement work will be carried out by Network Rail (NR) engineers as part of the Victoria re-signalling programme, which will help to improve performance and deliver better journeys.

The work will mainly take place at the weekends but there is also an extended closure over the Christmas period. 

You can find more detailed information below. Please check before you travel.


When are the line closures?

For 10 days, from Saturday 23 December to Monday 1 January, the line between Herne Hill, Brixton and Victoria will be closed, along with Brixton station.

Work is also taking place over several weekends before and after the 10-day closure, which means Victoria services will be diverted for the weekend of 16 and 17 December, then again on 6, 7, 13 and 14 January. 

Further weekend work is scheduled through 2024, and then there is another extended line closure over Dec 2024 and Jan 2025, when services won’t run to either Victoria or Blackfriars.

We will publish more details about the 2024 work as soon as possible.


What are the service changes when the line is closed?

Victoria services will divert to Blackfriars, Cannon Street and Charing Cross. Trains between Victoria and Orpington will run from Blackfriars, calling additionally at Elephant and Castle. Brixton station will be closed all day.

Additional trains will run between Blackfriars and Orpington via Denmark Hill, Lewisham, and Bromley South.


What are the service changes on the other routes?

Sole Street Line: Trains between Victoria and Ramsgate / Dover Priory via Chatham will run from Cannon Street and run non-stop between London Bridge and St Mary Cray / Swanley. Stopping services between Victoria and Gillingham will not run.

Maidstone East Line: Trains between Victoria and Ashford International via Maidstone East will run from Charing Cross and run non-stop between London Bridge and St Mary Cray. Trains which usually run between Charing Cross and Maidstone East will stop additionally at St Mary Cray.
 
Bexleyheath Line: Trains between Victoria and Dartford via Bexleyheath will not run. Additional trains will run between Charing Cross and Dartford via Bexleyheath.
 
More information is available on our Planned Engineering Work page.

What is the ticket acceptance?

With a valid Southeastern ticket you can use the following services at no extra cost to complete your journey:
  • London Underground between Victoria, Brixton, Elephant & Castle, Blackfriars, Charing Cross, Embankment, Cannon Street, London Bridge, Southwark and Waterloo.
  • Thameslink between Blackfriars, Bromley South, and Sevenoaks to connect with services to / from Gillingham, Faversham, Ashford International, Ramsgate and Dover Priory (at Swanley).
  • On Sundays only, you can use London Bus routes P12, 78 and 484 between Denmark Hill and Lewisham.
     

What work is happening in December?

NR engineers are carrying out a major rebuild of the busy Voltaire Road rail junction between Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road Overground stations. The switches and crossings (S&C) here control the movement of Southeastern and London Overground services.

More than 1,600 metres of track will be laid using nearly 1,000 tonnes of ballast and 2,600 new sleepers. Around 1,000 metres of conductor rail will also be replaced, along with 14 points.

When the lines are closed NR will use the time to continue the installation of new signalling on the lines from Herne Hill and Nunhead into Victoria.


What is the Victoria re-signalling programme?

A new signalling system replacing the older signalling that dates from the 1980s. It is scheduled to come into use by January 2025 and will help to improve reliability. The next phase of work follows recent upgrades between East Croydon and London Victoria, which has seen delays slashed in half. 

Find out more details about the Victoria re-signalling programme.


Is it linked to the gateline improvement programme at Victoria?

It is part of the drive to deliver better journeys for customers that travel to and from Victoria.
 
To ease congestion and flow the number of gatelines at the station is increasing from 88 to 121, including five wider accessible gates. A lot of the installations will be carried out when the platforms are closed for re-signalling engineering work.
 
You can find more details on the Network Rail project page.
 
Please accept marketing cookies to view this content.