The railway junction east of Tonbridge station which sees lines to Hastings split from the Kent mainline will see the track and equipment completely replaced in a bid to improve reliability.
Taking place over the Easter weekend and beyond, the project will mean that there will be some disruption for passengers as follows:
- Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April, replacement buses between Tonbridge and Paddock Wood/Tunbridge Wells.
- Saturday 30 April to Monday 2 May (May bank holiday), replacement bus service between Tonbridge and Paddock Wood & between Tonbridge and Wadhurst.
- Sunday 8 May, replacement bus service between Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood & between Sevenoaks and Wadhurst.
- Saturday 21 May to Sunday 22 May, replacement bus service between Tonbridge and Paddock Wood & between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
- Saturday 28 May to Sunday 29 May, replacement bus service between Tonbridge and Paddock Wood & between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
Work on the project got underway back in January with the project set to complete by the end of May.
Fiona Taylor, managing director for Network Rail Kent, said:
“It's never an easy decision to close a railway for engineering work at Easter, especially a route to the coast, but the junction at Tonbridge is getting to the stage where the right thing to do is replace it completely. That takes time and by closing the line for these weekends we'll get the job done by the time summer arrives.
“I'm really grateful to passengers for their patience with us while we do the work – not just at Tonbridge but across the railway. If you're travelling this Easter weekend, do check journey planners before you go as there may be changes to your trip.”
Scott Brightwell, Operations and Safety Director for Southeastern, said:
“There's never a good time to undertake engineering on the railway but this work across the Tonbridge area is essential to ensure that passengers have reliable and safe journeys.
“We'd strongly advise our passengers to check before they travel over the weekends when Network Rail are carrying out this work.”
The railway junction allows trains from Hastings to join the tracks to Ashford and London. The points and crossings were last rebuilt during the 1980s and need extra maintenance in order to keep them running reliably.
Passengers can check how their journey may be affected by visiting https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
