Blackheath rail tunnel reopens after 10-week closure

A ten-week closure of the Blackheath rail tunnel between Charlton and Blackheath has finished with services now back underway.

Trains between the two stations resumed this morning following work which is part of a £10 million project undertaken by Network Rail.

Though given Southeastern and Network Rail are now merged with both under public ownership perhaps this may well be a Great British Railways project in all but name?

I benefitted from the resumption this morning after needing to take a train to Lewisham (see the main pic as it approached Abbey Wood station) with no need to use the DLR. And as luck would have it, a City Beam with air conditioned arrived. No boiling Class 376 fortunately.

Yet whilst work on the tunnel is welcome, it’s not all good news.

Rail cuts

Rail services through Greenwich and Deptford have reduced back again to four per hour off-peak now trains are heading to Blackheath after a brief increase to six trains per hour as was the norm before cuts implemented in 2022.

Services along the Woolwich line before those 2022 cuts saw eight per hour (two via Lewisham and six via Greenwich). There’s no word when those cuts services will resume despite Southeastern now being under public ownership and closer working with Network Rail being proclaimed as a money saver.

Whatever money being saved shows no sign of cut services under this government (despite Labour campaigning against them when in opposition) but is instead heading back to the Treasury – with no benefit evident for passengers.

It should also be noted that bus services from areas such as Thamesmead, Plumstead and Woolwich are also to be cut in certain areas in a plan supported by a Labour Mayor and a Labour council.

So that’s Labour in power at national, mayoral and local level yet train cuts remain in place and bus cuts are now on the way.

Strangely a lot of Labour politicians vocal in opposition are now silent about these cuts impacting areas seeing some of the biggest housing growth in London and the wider country.