MILLIONS of pounds are being spent on upgrading the rail tracks in and around the county to make life for commuters a whole lot easier.

Network Rail is spending £8.2 million on improving the Battersea Pier junction, one of Britain’s busiest railway junctions that sees almost 250,000 passengers a day.

It may be Christmas time, but John Halsall, Network Rail’s managing director for the south east, said: “It’s never a good time to close the railway but doing nothing is not an option.

“Doing the work over the Christmas holidays, when the railway is significantly quieter than usual, means we can minimise disruption to passengers.”

“This major investment is part of a much wider programme of works, including the recent improvements at Factory junction nearby in Wandsworth, not to mention the £67m we’re spending on the Brighton Main Line.

“The Battersea works are a critical piece of the jigsaw to help us provide the infrastructure passengers deserve, reducing delays and boosting reliability.”

Most Southern trains will be rerouted to and from London Bridge.

There will be no Gatwick Express trains but Southern and Thameslink services for Gatwick Airport will run to and from other central London stations, including London Blackfriars and London Bridge.

A limited bus service will replace trains for local journeys between Clapham Junction, Battersea Park and London Victoria.

Clapham Junction is expected to be very busy and passengers should avoid this station if possible.

Platforms 9 to 19 will be closed at London Victoria station from 1:05am on Sunday 23 December until 4am on Wednesday 2 January.

Additionally, London Overground, between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction stations, is also closed on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 December and Tuesday 1 January.