The project will see all signalling equipment in the Lewisham area replaced with new and more reliable technology, meaning fewer faults and delays for passengers in south east London and out to Kent.
The new system will be installed alongside the existing one over the next two years and brought into use over an extended closure of the railway at Christmas 2026.
Along with brand new equipment, Automatic Route Setting (ARS) software will be installed at the Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre, where trains in the area are signalled from.
The state-of-the-art equipment will help signallers more efficiently control the movement of trains on the network. The signalling layout and signal positions in the area will be modified to improve line speeds.
David Davidson, Kent route director, Network Rail, said: “The Lewisham area is among the busiest and most congested parts of the country’s rail network. More than a third of Southeastern trains pass through Lewisham each day. Any fault or delay in this area has a major impact on services in south east London and out to Kent.
“This £90 million investment in new signalling will reduce signalling related delays and support a more reliable service for all passengers.
"We have just completed major signalling upgrades in the Tulse Hill, Peckham Rye and Crystal Palace areas. A major signalling upgrade of the lines from Battersea, up to Herne Hill, Brixton, Bellingham and Nunhead is set to be completed over the next year.
“Collectively, these projects bring our signalling investment in south London up to nearly half a billion pounds in recent years and demonstrate our commitment to upgrading old and less reliable infrastructure to improve the railway for our passengers”.
Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s Operations and Safety Director, said: “We understand that any disruption to our services can be frustrating for our customers, and we thank them for bearing with us while this vital improvement work is carried out by our Alliance partner Network Rail. Upgrading the signalling system in the Lewisham area will really help us to reduce delays and deliver better journeys.
“There are a number of diversions on the routes via Lewisham, so please check journey planners before you travel, or you can get more information through our app or on our website.”
There will be changes to services at weekends to allow engineers to safely install the new system when trains aren’t running, with the first significant closure coming this Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January.
No trains will run to / from London Charing Cross, Waterloo East or London Cannon Street. New Cross and St Johns will also be closed all weekend. Trains on most of these routes are diverted to run to / from London Victoria.
A significantly reduced service will run from London Bridge:
- 2 trains per hour running between London Bridge and Hastings via East Croydon / Redhill
- 2 trains per hour between London Bridge and Dartford via Greenwich.
Accessible replacement buses will run between Lewisham and Greenwich calling at St Johns and New Cross. Rail tickets can be used at no extra cost on the London Underground between Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and Elephant & Castle. Customers can also use the Docklands Light Railway at no extra cost between Lewisham and Greenwich.
