Charing Cross and Waterloo East reopen on schedule
London Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations have reopened following a 22-day closure for a £20 million programme of railway engineering work.
The two stations closed on July 26 while Network Rail carried out a concentrated programme of work between Charing Cross and London Bridge. Southeastern services were diverted to other London terminals during the blockade, with passengers returning to Charing Cross and Waterloo East today, August 17.
The main focus of the work was the replacement of almost two kilometres of track and 16 sets of switches and crossings. The track dated from 1990 and had become increasingly prone to faults, with problems on the section between Charing Cross and London Bridge responsible for more than 21,000 minutes of passenger delays.
The closure also allowed engineers to carry out work that would have been considerably more difficult with trains running. Sections of all six platforms at Charing Cross were rebuilt, while drainage was improved at Waterloo East.
Further work was carried out on the 175-year-old Hungerford Bridge, including the replacement of timber track supports and repairs to its steelwork. The footbridge at Waterloo East has also been refurbished, including new self-cleaning glass windows.
Rather than spreading the work over months of weekend closures, Network Rail and Southeastern opted for a single 22-day blockade. The alternative would have required around 60 weekend closures or four separate nine-day blockades.
The timing was also deliberate. The work took place during the summer holidays, when passenger numbers are around 20% lower than during the rest of the year, reducing the number of people affected by the closure.
There is still a little more work to come, with a further closure planned for August 23 for follow-up engineering work. The main programme is now complete, however, and Charing Cross and Waterloo East have reopened as planned — bringing an end to three weeks of disruption for passengers.
Image courtesy of Southeastern Railway.
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