London Bridge disruption: what you need to know

Passengers travelling through London Bridge station continue to face severe disruption, overcrowding, delays and cancellations as upgrade work continues, with further changes coming into effect today.

"The new track layout on the approach to the station has meant that so far, it has been a challenge to deliver the new timetable," said Southern.

From today until the end of service on Friday, several train services between London Bridge and West Croydon have been withdrawn in order to help the company deliver "an improved service".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Additionally, several timetable changes will be made to rush hour train services this week. Tickets will be accepted on London Underground for some routes.

For the full list of cancelled and disrupted services, customers are advised to follow regular updates on the company's website, as Southern continues to assess whether more long-term changes are required.

As Britain's fourth busiest - and London's oldest - station undergoes a huge overhaul, here's what commuters need to know.

Southern services from 19 January to 16 February

Four weeks of additional changes have been announced by Southern, followed by a service review.

Changes have been made to the timetable for the Oxted, West London, Uckfield, and Metro lines during peak hours in the morning and evening. A number of services between London Bridge and West Croydon have also been cancelled.

A full list of changes can be found here.

Long-term engineering works at London Bridge

London Bridge station is being expanded to meet the huge rise in demand for travel in and out of London, and to relieve congestion on the London Underground.

Work is being done in phases in order to keep the station open, which means changes to operations will continue from now until 2018. As a result, the three main train operators through the station – Thameslink, Southeastern and Southern – will all be affected at different times.

From 12 January 2015 until August 2016, Southeastern services to and from Charing Cross will not call at London Bridge and Thameslink trains will run a limited service to and from London Bridge. Southern trains remain largely unaffected.

London Bridge Tube station is operating as normal.

Which services are not running?

There will be no National Rail link between London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross until August 2016.

Thameslink:

• Bedford to Brighton trains will not be stopping at London Bridge station from now until 2018, with journeys extended by 10 to 12 minutes because of the diversion.
• A reduced Thameslink service will run between Brighton and London Bridge during off peak hours, with a very limited Thameslink service during peak times.

Southeastern:

• All trains to and from Charing Cross will not be stopping at London Bridge from 12 January until August 2016 – except for at the end of the day when a limited service will run via Waterloo East, London Cannon Street and London Bridge.
• Some services will be altered to arrive at or depart from an alternative London station.

Southern:

Southern services from London Bridge have resumed, but changes to timetables, particularly at peak hours have been introduced.

Are there any the alternative routes?

Alternative routes will vary widely depending on the train line used and a passenger's final destination. Customers attempting to get to London Bridge station on train lines not stopping there are advised to change onto an alternative line en route to London.

Passengers can also travel to different London stations and use alternative methods of travel, including the Overground, Underground and buses to complete their journey. Walking maps are also available at all central London stations.

Recommended route for Thameslink passengers

Recommended route for Southern passengers

Recommended route for Southeastern passengers

Which stations and Tube lines will be busier as a result?

The Jubilee line at London Bridge, Southwark and Waterloo underground stations is expected to be exceptionally busy due to the diverted National Rail passengers.

Other stations in the capital, especially London Victoria and Canada Water, will also be busier than normal, as commuters pour onto alternative routes.

For more detailed information and ticket acceptance advice, customers are advised to check with Transport for London, National rail ticket offices or their train operating company before travelling.