Southern cancel all trains to Victoria for 11 days
Main image: Victoria concourse taken pre-pandemic
Southern Railway have cancelled all services to Victoria until the 10th January due to staff shortages.
It’s an unprecedented move and comes as Omicron hits staff numbers. A large number of service alterations are in place including no Gatwick Express services and now trains. Details are on Southern’s page here.
No service
Also cancelled in their entirety are services from East Croydon to London Bridge via Forest Hill and Epsom to London Bridge via Carshalton Beeches.
Certain services will be diverted into London Bridge, though stations such as Battersea Park, Clapham Junction and Wandsworth Common will see no service whatsoever.
The new Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station may be useful to some in those areas, though many passengers will be hit.
In contrast, Southeastern have no restrictions as yet and journey planners currently show a good service – though services are severely reduced due to engineering works halting all services through Lewisham.
I feel sorry for anyone needing to travel by train to Victoria over the next week or so as staff return to work after the festive season. Southern staff need to recover from the Omicron variant or take time to self isolate due to being in contact with someone who has the virus.
However, on a separate note this also shows the inconvenience that can be caused as many people still do not adhere to the Covid rules of wearing a mask on public transort (which covers both nose and mouth), and is shops etc.
I am sorry to go on but please please get your vaccinations and booster vaccinations if you have not already done so.
So we can look after each other especially vulnerable people with underlying health conditions. Lets get on top of this virus and get back to normal in 2022.