Passengers travelling home late at night across south London face a disrupted week, as engineering work around Selhurst forces Southern to divert and cut short two of its evening services. Here is the full list of Southern trains cancelled or diverted this week.
The affected trains — one bound for Sutton and one for Selhurst — will be turned back early each night from Monday, October 5, with replacement buses covering the sections of the route that trains can no longer reach. Travellers heading through Croydon and the surrounding areas are being urged to check their journey before setting off and to allow extra time.
Which services are affected this week
Monday to Thursday (October 5 to 8): The 11.40pm departure from London Victoria to Sutton will be diverted after Selhurst and will terminate at East Croydon instead of continuing on to Sutton. A replacement bus will run between East Croydon and Sutton, via West Croydon, calling at all stations.
Tuesday to Friday (October 6 to 9): The 12.01am departure from London Bridge to Selhurst will be diverted after Tulse Hill and will terminate at Norwood Junction rather than continuing to Selhurst. A replacement bus will operate between Tulse Hill and Selhurst, via Streatham Common, calling at all stations.
Why the changes are happening
Southern says the alterations are required because of engineering work taking place in the Selhurst area. The work affects late-night services only, with the two altered departures expected to return to their normal routes once the engineering schedule is complete.
It is the latest in a run of engineering-related disruption for the operator’s passengers. This past weekend, buses replaced Southern trains across four routes during weekend engineering works, leaving many south London travellers hunting for alternative routes home.
What this means for late-night commuters
Because both of the altered departures are among the last trains of the night, the changes will be felt most keenly by late-shift workers, hospitality staff and anyone travelling home after an evening out. The replacement buses call at every station along the diverted sections, but journeys are likely to take noticeably longer than the usual train ride — and anyone who misses an altered departure may find there is no later rail service to fall back on.
Passengers heading for Sutton should stay on the diverted Victoria service as far as East Croydon, where the replacement bus continues the journey via West Croydon. Those travelling towards Selhurst on the London Bridge service should plan around the Tulse Hill diversion, with buses bridging the gap to Selhurst via Streatham Common.
Hospitality and retail staff working late shifts in Croydon town centre are among those most likely to feel the disruption, with the replacement bus adding extra minutes to already long journeys home.
Alternative travel advice
Southern is advising everyone using the affected late-night services to check their journey before travelling and to build extra time into their plans when relying on replacement buses. Live departure information is available through the operator’s website and app, and station staff can help with on-the-night alternatives.
Travellers using London Victoria late at night may also want to keep an eye on wider disruption at the terminus, where trains were recently thrown into chaos after a trackside fire damaged signalling at Clapham Junction.
Anyone considering the bus instead of the train should also note that London bus speeds have fallen to their lowest level since 2013-14, so road journeys across the capital may take longer than expected.
Overnight engineering work is routinely scheduled to keep daytime services running, but south London rail users have endured a string of late-night and weekend alterations in recent weeks — making it worth double-checking the timetable before every journey this week.
Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more as a result of the changes may be able to claim compensation through Delay Repay, the industry-wide scheme that refunds part of the fare when trains run late.
