Rail passengers travelling from Kent into the capital have been warned to expect disruption for five weeks due to lengthy engineering works.

The project to replace track and switches on the lines around Grove Park and Hither Green will affect people visiting London from parts of the county.

Southeastern services from the coast will be affected with replacement buses between Grove Park and Bromley North starting in the last weekend in June.

Four weekends in July will also see work taking place as trains between Orpington and Lewisham are to be cancelled.

Network Rail is carrying out improvements to 10 switches and crossings – allowing trains to change tracks – on the Grove Park line.

The busy route on the main line from Kent is one of the busiest routes in the south east and the heavily used track has been subjected to wear and tear.

More than 400 metres of new track will be laid on 650 new sleepers as well as the new crossings.

The sections are pre-made in the factory meaning they can be installed faster once on site.

Rail chiefs say it will improve journeys by improving the "resilience of the network".

Replacement buses will be in place between Orpington and Lewisham and Grove Park and Bromley North on June 26-27, July 3-4, July 10-11, July 17-18 and July 24-25.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail route director for Kent, said: “I’m sorry for the disruption to passengers’ journeys from this work, but only by doing this kind of job can we continue to offer reliable journeys for passengers.

"I’d urge passengers travelling from Gravesend, Ramsgate via Dover Priory, Hayes to and from London, to check before they travel at the weekends in late June and through July.”

Scott Brightwell, train services director at Southeastern, said: “We know that more and more people are travelling with us on the weekends now and it’s not ideal that the line is closing for five weekends in a row.

"Only by doing this kind of job can we continue to offer reliable journeys for passengers..."

"It’s a heavily used part of the network and the track does need replacing to improve journeys for our passengers.

"There are replacement buses available or alternative routes to London and the coast, which shouldn’t add too much time to your journey.”

For more information about the disruption and travel advice head to the Southeastern website.

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