Because of engineering work, some train services in South London, Kent, and Sussex will be disrupted during the early May bank holiday weekend.

From Saturday, 2nd to Monday, 4th May, Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations will be closed, with trains terminating at Victoria or Cannon Street instead (Cannon Street is closed on Sunday).

Sunday, 3rd May

• Trains between Charing Cross and Dover Priory via Tonbridge will only run between London Victoria and Headcorn.
• Hourly trains from Ashford will run via Maidstone East.
• Rail replacement buses will run between Headcorn and Ashford International, calling at Pluckley.
• Buses will replace trains between Three Bridges and Lewes/Brighton.
• Customers travelling between the Brighton area, Gatwick Airport, and London should use a diverted Southern train service operating via Horsham and Littlehampton.
• There will be no Southern trains between Balham and Sutton via Mitcham Junction.
• Rail replacement bus services will run between Sutton Common and Sutton, calling at Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Hackbridge, and Carshalton.

Passengers intending to travel in the affected area this weekend should check their journeys beforehand using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner.

Saturday, 2nd to Monday, 4th May

• There will be a reduced train service between London Victoria and Clapham Junction/East Croydon.
• No Southern trains will run between Clapham Junction and Watford Junction.
• There will be a disruption to services on the lines to Paddock Wood, Hastings, Maidstone East, Bexleyheath, Woolwich, Grove Park, Sidcup, Hayes, Bromley South, and Bromley North.

Elsewhere in the country, most services will operate as normal throughout the weekend, with the notable exception of Yorkshire.

“This work on our railway will deliver more reliable journeys, improve performance and accessibility, and help modernise critical railway infrastructure. There is no ‘right way’ to do major work on our railway, but bank holidays are still among the least busy times for us in terms of passenger numbers and freight services. Those extra days with fewer customers give us an opportunity to do longer projects that we couldn’t do in a normal two-day weekend or overnight. While most of our railway is open as usual over the bank holidays this May, there are some exceptions, and I’d advise everyone to plan ahead and check before they travel.”

David Davidson, chief operating officer for the South Eastern Railway