This iconic central London bridge is being restored, with works starting this week

London has loads of fabulous bridges: from the camp, pale pink Albert bridge to the infamously once wobbly Millennium bridge, and of course icons like Tower Bridge, every Londoner has their favourite. Now, one 161-year-old Thames crossing is getting a much-needed renovation. The Hungerford railway bridge, connecting the South Bank and Charing Cross station, is about to undergo a three-year restoration, starting on Saturday January 18. 

Network Rail has decided it’s about time the structure got a 21st century update. Made up of wrought iron lattice girders dating from 1864, the refurbishment will see the original metalwork tested and restored. During the work engineers will prepare and paint the bridge, test the truss pins – which join together the supports – and replace the pin end caps on the girders.

Work is expected to be finished by the end of winter 2028. The bridge will remain open to trains for now as the renovations will take place during the night, but there are likely to be closures from 2026 onwards. 

David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent route director said: ‘Many of the bridges on Britain’s railway are from the Victorian era and being responsible for this national heritage is both a privilege and a challenge. Some of the structures are very old, so are vulnerable to corrosion and damage from weather.

‘Refurbishment of Hungerford Bridge will take three years, and we won’t need to close the bridge to trains during this first phase as we’ll be working at times that cause the least disruption to train services. This means we are carrying out some of our work during the night.

‘To avoid further disruption, we will also use barges to deliver and remove waste materials to Surrey Pier for the period of the works to avoid creating extra traffic and the resulting pollution. This will avoid the equivalent of six truck freight deliveries through central London a week.’

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