10-week closure of Blackheath rail tunnel set to start this weekend
Passengers in south east London are being asked to plan ahead for a 10-week closure of the Blackheath rail tunnel.
The closure, which starts on Sunday, May 18, and runs until Sunday, July 27, 2025, is due to £10 million worth of essential repairs by Network Rail.
The repairs are necessary for the 175-year-old Victorian-era structure, which is prone to leaks and water damage.
The tunnel's brickwork is affected by the freezing and thawing of rainwater, which filters through the ground into the tunnel.
While the tunnel is safe, the leaks and very wet conditions inside it damage track and electrical equipment, causing delays and speed restrictions.
The one-mile-long tunnel, which opened in 1849, has been the cause of around 1,000 minutes of delay to Southeastern passengers over the last year.
The closure coincides with Southeastern's timetable change, and customers are being reminded that some train times will change only for the period of the 10-week Blackheath tunnel closure.
Services that normally run through the tunnel will be diverted via other routes during the closure.
Due to the diversion, fewer Cannon Street services will call at St Johns and New Cross.
David Davidson, Network Rail's Kent route director, said: "We know there's never a good time to close the railway, and that changes to services for a 10-week period is a long time.
"These essential repairs will improve the safety and operation of the tunnel.
"We are carrying out the repairs over a series of 10-week closures because working in cramped and narrow tunnels is incredibly difficult.
"If traditional weekend working was used engineers would spend at least 50 per cent of a weekend bringing materials and plant in and out of the tunnel, leaving limited time for actual work.
"I want to thank customers for bearing with us during the closure, during which there are a number of alternative travel options.
"We are running extra services on the Woolwich line for connections to the Docklands Light Railway and the Elizabeth line, and there are also extra services on the Bexleyheath line.
"Rail tickets can also be used at no extra cost on some local bus routes, with full details available on the Southeastern website."
The repairs will involve replacing thousands of bricks and installing a new tunnel lining to stop water leaking into the tunnel.
Drainage systems will be rebuilt and essential track work carried out, including the removal of "wet beds" – waterlogged sections of track that cause bumpy train rides.
When the tunnel is repaired and water-damaged infrastructure replaced, passengers will benefit from fewer delays, fewer speed restrictions and improved reliability.
Around 3,500 passengers per week usually travel to stations between Lewisham and Abbey Wood through the Blackheath tunnel.
To minimise disruption and keep passengers moving when work is taking place, services from Dartford to Cannon Street (via Charlton and Lewisham) will run instead via Greenwich, stopping additionally at Westcombe Park, Maze Hill, Greenwich, and Deptford.
This offers the option to travel on the DLR from Greenwich to Lewisham, adding around seven minutes to journeys.
Other services will be diverted along the Bexleyheath line.
There will be no rail replacement buses but passengers will be able to travel on selected Transport for London bus routes at no extra cost.
A taxi can be provided for customers with accessible needs for travel between Blackheath and Charlton.
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