Christmas train disruption at Waterloo
A busy railway junction in London will be rebuilt this Christmas as part of an investment programme to improve punctuality on trains into Waterloo.
It means there will be a reduced train service on the South Western Railway route from the Thames Valley as engineers from Network Rail install new equipment at Nine Elms junction near Vauxhall over ten days.
Between Christmas Day and 3 January 2021, engineers will be replacing the points - at the critical junction between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo (Britain’s busiest railway station).
Platforms 12 to 20 at Waterloo will be closed for the work.
There are likely to be queuing systems in place at Waterloo and Clapham Junction stations to manage passenger journeys safely. Passengers travelling on the Windsor line towards central London will need to change at Clapham Junction for onward services.
As there will be a significantly reduced service, passengers are being asked to plan their journeys if they’re travelling over the festive period and to use alternatives where they are available.
Further details will be made available on Network Rail’s website https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/wessex/london-waterloo-to-clapham-junction-engineering-work/
Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “These improvements are important to deliver a more resilient railway for the thousands of passengers who travel through this area each day. Once complete, it will support us to deliver safe and reliable journeys for many years to come.
“There is never a good time to carry out complex works of this type, but by completing this work at Christmas when fewer people are travelling, we hope to minimise the impact to our passengers. We apologise to those affected by this and thank you for your patience.”
Alan Penlington, South Western Railway’s customer experience director, said: “The work taking place over the Christmas period this year will improve reliability and resilience along this crucial stretch of railway.
“I realise this will mean a lot of disruption for our customers, however, the majority of journeys can still be made by changing trains and Network Rail are doing all they can to minimise the impact of the works.
“We are urging our customers to check before they travel and I’d like to thank them for their patience while this vital work is carried out.”