There will be no train services from London Charing Cross and Waterloo East for the next four weekends, starting this weekend Saturday, 12th and Sunday, 13th August and continuing to Saturday, 2nd and Sunday, 3rd September.

The closure also includes August bank holiday Monday, 28th August, and is required to allow Network Rail engineers to start rebuilding a busy junction at New Cross that controls the movement of trains to and from London Bridge station.

During the closure, five sets of switches and crossings will be replaced as well as more the 1,000 yards of track, sleepers, and ballast, and is part of Network Rail’s investment in improving reliability for passengers by replacing 1980s rail infrastructure in Kent.

Whilst London Charing Cross and Waterloo East are closed, most Southeastern trains will be diverted into London Victoria and London Blackfriars. Accessible replacement buses will be available from Lewisham to Greenwich, calling at St Johns and New Cross.

For these weekends, London Underground will accept rail tickets at no extra charge, between London Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and Elephant & Castle, and on the Docklands Light Railway between Lewisham and Greenwich.

David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent route director, said: “Over the past four years, we’ve invested more than a billion pounds into the railway in Kent and South East London, replacing and upgrading 1980s infrastructure to improve reliability for passengers.

“That work continues with this investment at New Cross junction, a key location on the route into London Bridge, controlling the movement of hundreds of trains each day.

“Any incident on the route into London Bridge has a major impact on passengers and it’s vital that our infrastructure is as reliable as possible. This vital work will bring tangible benefits for passengers when complete and we’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we undertake these works.”

Daniel Tall, head of the joint performance team for Southeastern, said: “We know that this work being undertaken by Network Rail is crucial in making the railway more reliable, but for a short period during August and early September, there will be an impact on customers’ journeys at weekends.

“Our message is to please check before you travel on the Southeastern app, our website or Twitter @Se_Railway, and allow more time for your journey on these weekends.”