Southeastern late-night changes affect passengers across south-east London and Kent from Monday 12 October, as five nights of overnight engineering work force cancellations, diversions and replacement buses on the network.
The changes run from Monday to Friday (12 to 16 October), hitting services through Bromley, Bexley and Lewisham. Some routes are suspended entirely after 11.45pm on selected nights, while others are diverted away from their usual paths. The details vary night by night, so the service that runs on Monday evening may look very different from the one that runs on Thursday.
Bromley North to Grove Park suspended late on Monday and Wednesday
On Monday 12 and Wednesday 14 October, trains between Bromley North and Grove Park will not run from 11.45pm until the end of service. Passengers travelling between the two stations can use London bus routes 126 and 261 at no extra cost while the line is closed.
London to Kent services diverted via London Bridge
From Monday to Thursday (12 to 15 October), several late-night services between London and Kent will be diverted between London Bridge and Ashford International, running non-stop between the two stations.
The diverted services are the 11.40pm from London Cannon Street to Dover Priory on Monday, the 11.40pm from Cannon Street to Canterbury West and Dover Priory on Tuesday, and the 11.34pm from London Charing Cross to Canterbury West and Dover Priory on Wednesday and Thursday.
Accessible replacement buses will run between Tonbridge and Headcorn, calling at all stations, and between Headcorn and Ashford International, calling at Pluckley. Passengers heading to Sevenoaks or Tonbridge — or connecting with a replacement bus at Tonbridge — should use alternative trains between London, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.
Dartford via Greenwich cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday
On Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 October, the 12.26am service from London Cannon Street to Dartford via Greenwich will not run. An accessible replacement bus will operate between London Bridge and Dartford via Greenwich instead, with passengers advised to take an alternative train from Cannon Street to London Bridge to connect with it.
Kent coast trains replaced by buses on Thursday
Thursday 15 October brings further changes towards the Kent coast, with several late services replaced by accessible buses:
- The 11.07pm from London St Pancras International to Ramsgate via Dover Priory will be replaced by a bus between Dover Priory and Ramsgate, calling at all stations except Thanet Parkway.
- The 11.40pm from London St Pancras International to Margate via Canterbury West will be replaced by a bus between Canterbury West and Margate, calling at Thanet Parkway, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
- The 10.34pm from London Charing Cross to Ramsgate will be replaced by a bus between Minster and Ramsgate.
Dartford via Bexleyheath diversion on Thursday and Friday
On Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October, the 12.22am service from London Charing Cross to Dartford — which normally runs via Woolwich Arsenal — will be diverted to run via Bexleyheath instead. An accessible replacement bus will run between Lewisham and Dartford via Woolwich Arsenal for passengers who need the stations the train will skip.
What passengers should do
The works are scheduled overnight to protect daytime services, but anyone travelling after about 11pm this week is urged to allow extra time and confirm their route before setting out. Journey planners, including the National Rail website and the Southeastern app, will show the revised timetables and indicate where buses replace trains. Station signage at affected stations will point passengers towards replacement transport.
Passengers are reminded to check their journeys before travelling, particularly if they rely on late-night services or need to connect with a replacement bus. Rail tickets are accepted on the replacement buses, which are accessible.
The disruption follows a run of overnight engineering programmes on the network. Late last month buses replaced late-night Southeastern trains across Bexley, Bromley and Lewisham, while Lewisham faced further overnight changes last week and lines around the station were shut for Sunday engineering works earlier this month.
