National Rail and train operators Southeastern warned that buses would replace many train routes in South East London this weekend due to planned engineering works.

Several key train lines between Central London and the South East of the city will be out of action as National Rail prepare to carry out works that would disrupt services on Saturday and "close all lines" on Sunday for Southeastern train lines as far as Dartford and Sidcup.

A spokesperson for Southeastern offered more complete details of the services that will be affected.

"Routes (will be) affected between London Charing Cross / London Cannon Street and Orpington / Dartford / Gravesend / Tunbridge Wells / Hastings / Dover Priory / Ramsgate and London Cannon Street "rounder" services.

"Engineering work is taking place between Lewisham and Orpington / Sidcup all weekend. On Sunday the engineering work is extended to Dartford via Sidcup, closing all lines.

"All weekend, buses will replace trains between Lewisham and Orpington / Sidcup on Saturday / Dartford on Sunday."

National Rail meanwhile published a full list of the impacted routes in the South East of the capital on their website, reproduced below:

  • London Charing Cross and Dover / Ramsgate trains are diverted to run to / from London Victoria and will be diverted to run via Bromley South.
  • London Charing Cross to Hastings trains are diverted between London Bridge and Orpington running nonstop via New Beckenham.
  • Grove Park to Bromley North will not run. Customers should use London Bus routes 126 or 261.
  • A reduced service will run to / from Hayes. Trains between London Charing Cross and Hayes will call additionally at Lewisham.
  • London Victoria to Orpington trains on Saturday are extended to run to Tonbridge and on Sunday to Sevenoaks.
  • Trains from Maidstone East, and beyond, to London Victoria are diverted between Bromley South and London Victoria extending journey times by up to 9 minutes.
  • London Cannon Street 'rounder' trains will run to an amended timetable. Customers may have to use alternative train or replacement buses to complete your journey.
  • London Charing Cross and Gravesend are diverted via Bexleyheath and extended to run to / from Gravesend.

The disruption this weekend forms the tail end of a far-reaching project of engineering works carried out on lines operated by Southeastern that began on Monday (September 30) and are due to be completed on Sunday (October 6).