Overview
- The two stations closed on Sunday, July 26 for a 22‑day blockade running until 16 August so engineers can replace track, switches and platform foundations.
- Work includes 1,800 metres of new track, installation of 16 new switches and crossings, upgraded drainage at Waterloo East, rebuilt platform sections at Charing Cross and structural repairs to the 175‑year‑old Hungerford Bridge.
- No trains will call at Charing Cross or Waterloo East during the closure and Southeastern services normally into Charing Cross are being diverted to London Victoria, Cannon Street and Blackfriars with some services terminating at London Bridge.
- Passengers can use reasonable alternative routes on the Underground, Thameslink and Southern, and can claim refunds for all ticket types via a dedicated Southeastern form; extra weekend closures on specific dates may change travel arrangements so checks are advised.
- Officials say the concentrated summer blockade was chosen because the track was last fully renewed in the early 1990s and recent faults caused roughly 21,000 minutes of delays, with the programme intended to improve reliability and avoid a longer run of repeated weekend closures.