Race to the line: getting into the city centre for Sunday’s London Marathon could prove more difficult than many might have hoped, due to Network Rail engineering works on Thameslink
Runners and spectators travelling into the city for this Sunday’s London Marathon face disruption and possible crowding on Thameslink services from East Croydon, as Network Rail is conducting engineering works on the day of the world’s biggest 26.2-mile road race.
Despite such a big event going on in the capital, with runners and spectators needing to get to the race start at Blackheath, to other points along the route or to the finish on The Mall, Network Rail has decided that it will close the main Thameslink route, which usually carries 11 trains per hour on Sundays.
As our colleagues at The Greenwich Wire report: “The line will be closed between London Bridge and St Pancras International, meaning no through trains from north London to the Greenwich line. This will also mean no trains at Blackfriars.” The marathon route actually takes runners underneath Blackfriars Station, close to the 24-mile mark.
Greenwich Wire reports: “There will be frequent extra Southeastern trains to Greenwich, Maze Hill and Blackheath to carry runners to their start points.
“But the engineering works mean those planning to cheer them on near Charlton or Westcombe Park stations will have a less frequent service than a normal Sunday, with just three trains an hour after about 10.30am: two Southeastern trains to Cannon Street and one Thameslink train to London Bridge.”
The Greenwich Wire offers a comprehensive review of the public transport options for Sunday. “Maze Hill, Greenwich and Deptford stations will have extra Southeastern Metro trains during the morning, heading into central London only, to bump the service up to five trains an hour until about 1.30pm.”
Race route: check out the official London Marathon website and app for updates on this year’s course, and to track the progress of your friends taking part
“Trains and stations will be very busy and extra staff will be on duty to help reduce congestion and to provide travel assistance,” Network Rail and the train operators said in a joint statement. They claimed that “plans for the London Marathon have been worked through for many months”.
According to the railway companies: “Tickets will be accepted on the London Underground and London Buses for passengers travelling between St Pancras International and London Bridge.”
Runners and spectators are advised to plan their journeys at nationalrail.co.uk or at tfl.gov.uk.
Extra Docklands Light Railway trains will run from Bank and Tower Gateway to Lewisham until 4pm. Tube services will run as normal. The Elizabeth Line through Woolwich and Canary Wharf will also run a normal service, but trains west of Paddington will be affected by Network Rail works.
In previous years, it has been possible – if you’re prepared to cover a decent distance yourself – to see friends and loved ones at several points along the route.
Once you see them off at the start at Blackheath, scurry through Greenwich Park so that you can cheer them on as they pass near the Cutty Sark, just beyond six miles into the race. Its one of the more crowded spots along the route, so it is important to get to the correct side of the road in order that, once your runners have passed, you can quickly dip under the Thames through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and then find a spot on the roadside on the Isle of Dogs where, as the route loops back on itself, you can see the race again, possibly twice, between 14 and 21 miles (depending on how fast you get across the river).
Though be warned: you’d have to be extremely quick to get to all those spectator points ahead of the race leaders.
Do check the route, too: there have been some changes to the roads being used around Canary Wharf from previous years.
The London Marathon has a helpful app, which spectators can use to track their friends’ progress during the race.
And you’ll need to be up earlier to catch it all, too: the event will start at 8.50am with the elite wheelchair race. The elite women start at 9.05am, with the elite men from 9.35am.
Key crossing: savvy spectators can use the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to get to watch the race on both sides of the Thames
Race director Hugh Brasher is hoping that the 2025 London Marathon – the 45th – will be the biggest yet, with more than the 53,700 people who took part last year.
To accommodate all those runners, the start is now staged in a series of waves from 9.35am to 11.30am.
The Greenwich Wire provides some up-to-date local knowledge of some of the top spots for watching the race: “Cutty Sark station – where the escalators are out of service – will be entry-only, with arrivals directed to Greenwich Station.”
For those intrepid enough to try to watch the London Marathon on both sides of the River Thames, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel will be open northbound only (towards Island Gardens) from 10.30am to 12.30pm “with queues expected”, the Wire advises. “Spectators heading south will need to use the Docklands Light Railway from Island Gardens to Greenwich.”
Bus routes will be cut short, diverted or will not run at all while roads are closed. Notable changes include the 53, 89, 177, 180, 422, 472 and 486 services running via the South Circular Road, the 286 being diverted to North Greenwich and the SL4 running to Canning Town.
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How unsurprising and totally thoughtless. You would have thought they would be laying on more trains instead of taking them away. Shame on them.
I got this from somewhere authoritative:
Cutty Sark DLR station will close on May 31 until “spring 2026” to allow all four of the station’s broken escalators to be replaced at a cost of £4m.