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Two major train stations to close next WEEK ahead of massive 22-day, £20million upgrade

Exterior view of Charing Cross station in London, UK.

TWO busy UK train stations will close next week for nearly a month.

Thousands of Brits heading to the capital will have to find different routes next week from both Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations.

Two major UK train stations will be closing next week Credit: Getty

The two London stations, which handle millions of passengers each year, will close next Sunday – July 26 – for three weeks.

This is so that both the stations can undergo a £20million makeover.

The stations will then reopen on August 16.

Across the 22-day closure, all services will be cancelled as Network Rail carries out improvements to the stations including replacing a track that dates back to the 1990s.

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Other upgrades include new surfaces and structural repairs to the 175-year-old Hungerford Bridge which takes trains over the River Thames.

Later on this year, there will also be two additional weekend closures between August 22 and 23 and October 10 and 11.

For travellers who usually use Southeastern services from Charing Cross, they will now need to head to either London Victoria, London Cannon Street, London Blackfriars or London Bridge.

Passengers will also be able to use their ticket on alternative routes, the Underground and buses at no charge.

Charing Cross is one of the stations Credit: Getty
And the other is Waterloo East Station Credit: Alamy

Scott Brightwell, train services director at Southeastern Railway, previously said: “The £20 million investment we are delivering will see 1990s track and platforms upgraded to make journeys safer and more reliable, and Victorian- era structures strengthened to remain fit for the future.

“By consolidating the work into a 22-day closure, supported by preparation and follow-up weekends, we can complete the work more quickly and with less disruption overall than the alternative options of 60 weekend closures or four to five, nine-day closures.”

He added: “We have planned the closure for the summer, when passenger numbers are around 20 per cent lower and schools are closed, to help manage the impact on customers.”

All passengers are now being urged to plan ahead and check before they travel.



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