Croydon Tramlink: Disruption expected during planned strikes

Passengers in south London could experience travel disruption next week as rolling strikes and engineering works are due to take place across the tram and train network.

About 60 Croydon Tramlink engineers are expected to go on strike over pay from 24 to 28 March, the union Unite said.

This is followed by engineering work on Thameslink and Southeastern train routes over the Easter weekend.

Transport for London (TfL) urged Unite to agree a solution with them.

TfL said a reduced service was expected on the whole of the London Trams network for some of the planned strike days.

Bus and Overground services were expected to operate as normal but could be busier than usual, it added.

The Unite union said members who were tram, stores and infrastructure engineers were "angry that their colleagues on the London Underground, who require the same qualifications and perform the same roles, are paid up to £10,000 more a year".

It added the workers were on office worker contracts despite their technical roles, and although TfL agreed last year to change the workers contracts it had "failed to implement this commitment".

Unite's regional officer Bruce Swann said: "The entire employment situation of these workers is a mess.

"While TfL might claim this is the fault of historic mistakes, Unite believes it is simply trying to continue to run these services on the cheap at the expense of these workers.

"TfL needs to resolve the massive pay disparity and other issues, or this dispute will continue to escalate."

Navid Golshan, general manager for London Trams at TfL, said: "We urge Unite the Union to continue to work with us to find a resolution and call this strike off.

"Customers planning to use London Trams services are urged to check before they travel, allow extra time for their journeys, and check the TfL website or the TfL Go app for the latest travel information."

Meanwhile, on Thameslink there will be a bus replacement service between Herne Hill and Bromley South from Good Friday to Easter Monday - and the buses will not stop at Nunhead or Ravensbourne.

Thameslink Sevenoaks and Orpington services will also run to a revised timetable with diversions in place.

On Southeastern trains there will be no services via Denmark Hill from 29 March to 1 April, as all lines will be closed for engineering work between Brixton and Nunhead.

This means on the Bexleyheath line no trains will run between London Victoria and Dartford, but additional trains will run between Cannon Street and Dartford via Bexleyheath.

Southeastern said on the Sole Street line, trains between London Victoria and Gillingham via Denmark Hill will run non stop between London Victoria and Bromley South.

On Sunday, these trains will only run between London Victoria and Gillingham due to further engineering work.

Additionally, between 29 March and 1 April there will be replacement bus services between Lewisham and Sidcup and Dartford due to engineering work.

On Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday on the Sidcup line, trains which usually run between Charing Cross and Dartford via Sidcup will not run and trains which usually run between Charing Cross and Gravesend via Sidcup will only run between Sidcup and Gravesend.

On Easter Sunday on the Sidcup line, trains which usually run between Charing Cross and Dartford via Sidcup will be diverted to run via Bexleyheath., and trains which usually run on the line between Charing Cross and Gravesend via Sidcup will not run.

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