PETTS WOOD STATION FOOTBRIDGE REPAIRS

Network Rail has recently advised that it will be repairing the footbridge at Petts Wood station starting on 3rd August 2025. The work will include the renewal of the platform stairs as well as the lighting and some fixtures on the platforms. Originally it was planned during the lift installation but delayed until now as funds were not available then.

Work Programme

The work will be carried out between 3/8/2025 and 30/3/2026 i.e. about 34 weeks. The bridge will be closed from 17th August and carried out in phases

Phase 1 (18/8/2025 to 27/10/2025)
Closure of western portion from West Approach to landing for Platforms 1 & 2.

Phase 2 (27/10/2025 to 12/1/2026)
The western section will be reopened and the central portion between the landings from Platform 1/2 to Platform 3/4 closed.

Phase 3 (12/1/2026 to 30/3/2026)
The central section will reopen and the eastern section from the booking office to the landing at Platforms 3/4 will close.

Completion (30/3/2026)
The footbridge is expected to fully reopen and there will be pedestrian access again across the railway line at the station with direct access to all platforms from both sides of the railway. The bridge deck will be 60 mm (2½ inches) higher when replaced and the individual steps of the platform stairs will be slightly deeper by about 2 mm (⅛ in.)

THROUGHOUT THE WORK THE LIFTS WILL REMAIN OPEN

Impact

1. Rail Travellers

It should be borne in mind that all trains scheduled to stop at Petts Wood use platforms 3 & 4; however, at any time trains may occasionally stop at platforms 1 & 2 for operational reasons. In addition, the ticket office and ticket vending-machines are both located on the east side of the station and will not be moved during the work.

Travellers from the west side of Petts Wood will be affected most because in the first two phases they will need to get to the east side of the station to get tickets and access to trains.

In the third phase travellers from the east side of Petts Wood will need to get to the west side of the station (West Approach) to access all platforms, though the ticket office will remain open on the east side. This is very inconvenient for travellers from the west side needing tickets as they will have to cross via the pedestrian footbridge to get to the booking office and then return again to the west side to get to the platforms.

2. Pedestrian Routes across the railway

Access on foot across the railway will be available via the pedestrian footbridge 150 metres to the north of the station between the car park at the end of Queensway and the end of Petts Wood Road. The official walking route recommends using Queensway, pedestrian bridge, Petts Wood Road, Fairway and Station Square (575 m) but there is a shorter footpath by the railway behind the shops in Queensway and on the east side alongside the railway line between the pedestrian footbridge and Station Square (345 m).

Pedestrians not using the railway will be affected throughout the 3 phases.

For people south of Tudor Way/ Ryecroft Road it may be easier to walk via the Tudor Way bridge to reach trains and the booking office.

Assistance for People with Restricted Mobility

A free taxi service will be provided between Station Square and West Approach for travellers with restricted mobility. The Association does not yet know how this service will operate or how frequently it will run. At the project presentation on 9th July 2025 we were told it would be available while trains stop at the station, however, the response was not very convincing so do not be surprised if there is no taxi in the early morning or late evening

The taxi is meant only rail users ONLY, not pedestrians simply crossing the railway. In this case, you are expected to cross the railway by the pedestrian bridge. Unofficially you could probably get a lift by showing a Freedom Pass or Disabled Persons Railcard, though there are some time restrictions in the morning for this.

Alternative Bus Option

In addition to walking or taxi, anyone can use the normal fare paying bus service R3 between Station Square (Stop D) and Queensway (Stops C set down / Stop B pick up) to cross the railway. Buses run about every 20 minutes (30 minutes on Sundays) in each direction. At Station Square only join buses towards Princess Royal University Hospital, otherwise you will end up going towards St. Mary Cray or Orpington!!

Tickets

Annoyingly there are no plans to move any ticket machines or install one by West Approach, so that travellers on the west side of Petts Wood can readily obtain tickets during the work. Our recommendation is that you have access to an Oyster Card or some other travel pass and use this. A payment (debit or credit) card will also suffice in the London Oyster Card zone. For travel outside the London area you can purchase tickets on-line and store them on a mobile device like a tablet or smartphone. You can also order paper tickets online and either traipse to the ticket office at Petts Wood to collect them from the ticket machines or collect them from another station.


Train Service Disruption

Petts Wood station will be closed all day on Sunday 3rd August for work to commence and again on Sunday 17th August to allow for the installation of temporary structures over the up fast line in connection with the start of Phase 1. Replacement bus services will be provided between Orpington and Bromley South; and Chislehurst and Sevenoaks. It seems likely that railway station will also be closed for all train services at the subsequent phase changeovers on Sundays 26th October 2025, 11th January 2026 and at completion around 29th March 2026.

General Considerations

The station footbridge badly needs to be repaired, and unfortunately, there is no convenient time to carry out the work. Petts Wood will have to endure a period of inconvenience so that long overdue improvements can be made at the station. The work is difficult because there is only about 300mm clearance between the top of train roofs and the bridge deck. During each phase a temporary rectangular sleeve will be installed between the bridge piers so that trains can pass freely underneath without any risk of debris falling on to the tracks

The footbridge is not a public right of way, so Network Rail is under no obligation to give much warning of closure. In reality this has turned out to be about 5 weeks. Sadly, notices have only been distributed to dwellings within 500 metres of the station, so station users beyond this have not been made aware of this intended work. The Association has now requested of Network Rail that leaflets be distributed to the whole of Petts Wood, but this seems uncertain.

Work will be carried out on a 24 hour basis throughout the project and there will be some noise disturbance at times, though the site operators will try to keep this to a minimum
The effect on local businesses is likely to be detrimental during the work period because of the extended detour to get from one side of the railway to the other. We hope that Petts Wood residents will try to support local businesses as normally as possible during the bridge work.

There are still some uncertainties about some aspects of this project, especially the operation of the taxi service, and this article will be revised as further information becomes available,

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Uploaded 21/7/25