No Southern trains will run to or from London Victoria at any point on Sunday as engineering work brings services in and out of the terminus to a complete standstill.
The all-day closure on 18 October will hit passengers across Croydon and the wider Southern network, with every train that would normally start or finish at Victoria diverted to London Bridge instead. An amended and reduced timetable will operate throughout Sunday, with longer journey times expected on the routes that do run.
There will be no trains at all between London Victoria and London Bridge on Sunday. Trains will also skip every station between London Bridge and Norwood Junction via Sydenham, cutting off a key stretch of the south London network for the whole day.
Replacement buses will run between Clapham Junction and East Croydon to plug the gap. On Sunday they will call at Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst and West Croydon, giving passengers in some of the worst-affected areas an alternative way to travel.
The disruption begins on Saturday 17 October, when services between London Victoria, Clapham Junction and East Croydon will run less frequently than usual. Passengers travelling through Croydon on Saturday should expect fewer trains and longer waits on platforms.
There will also be no trains between London Victoria and London Bridge on Saturday. Trains from Battersea Park to Victoria will not run either, with passengers advised to travel via Clapham Junction instead. Anyone heading to Battersea Park is being told to travel to Victoria and catch the next train back.
Longer-distance Southern routes are being redrawn for the weekend. Services that normally run between Victoria and Littlehampton, Eastbourne and Ore will start and finish at London Bridge instead, while trains between Victoria and Reigate will only run between Redhill and Reigate.
Passengers travelling between London stations and Redhill are advised to use Southern or Thameslink services. Paper tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on the Jubilee line between London Bridge and Canada Water, and on London Overground services between Canada Water and Crystal Palace, giving travellers another way around the closures.
Southern is urging everyone travelling through Croydon this weekend to check their journey before setting off, particularly on Sunday when the amended timetable will affect services across the whole network. Passengers should allow extra time, expect services to be busier than usual where they do run, and check for last-minute changes before travelling.
The engineering work is part of a wider programme of weekend upgrades on the rail network, which regularly sees lines through south London closed or reduced on Saturdays and Sundays. London Victoria is one of the capital’s busiest termini, and a full-day closure of every Southern service is rare, making Sunday’s shutdown one of the most disruptive weekends of the year for passengers.
East Croydon, one of the busiest stations in the country, will feel the impact most sharply. With fewer trains running on Saturday and the amended timetable on Sunday, commuters and weekend travellers heading into central London will need to plan around the diversion to London Bridge or use the replacement buses.
Gatwick Airport passengers should also take note. With no trains running to or from Victoria on Sunday, anyone heading to the airport will need to travel from London Bridge or Blackfriars instead, and should leave considerably more time than usual for the journey.
Southern says tickets will be accepted on reasonable alternative routes where services are disrupted, and passengers can check live departure boards and journey planners for the latest information. Anyone whose journey is delayed may be entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme.
For Croydon residents, the closures add to a series of weekend engineering works that have repeatedly disrupted Southern services through the borough in recent weeks. Southern says detailed travel advice is available on its website, through station posters and on its social media channels.
The normal timetable is expected to resume on Monday 19 October.
