Tonbridge commuters facing years of disruption as £700m London Bridge upgrade begins in 2013

Tonbridge commuters arriving at London Bridge have been told they face 'years of disruption' when £700million of refurbishment work begins as part of the Thameslink upgrade next year.

The station, the oldest in London, is set to get new platforms, concourse, lifts, escalators and entrances on Tooley Street and St Thomas Street.

Work will begin in May 2013, and it will affect Southern, Thameslink and Southeastern services until 2018, Network Rail said. 

The station will remain open during the redevelopment work, which is part of the £6bn project to upgrade Thameslink.

Passenger watchdog London TravelWatch said disruption was inevitable for big projects but it urged train operators to keep passengers updated about the changes.

A spokeswoman said: "We support the rebuilding of London Bridge because essential improvements for passengers that cannot be properly delivered without works of this scale, however, we realise that it is going to cause significant disruption to passengers over a long period.

"Regular and reliable information, which clearly spells out any alternative travel options is essential and, where necessary, additional services or stops should be provided e.g. extra services into Victoria."