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Tuesday 22 Apr 2025

DELIVERED: Network Rail completes programme of engineering work across south London, East Kent and East Sussex over Easter

Region & Route:

Southern

Network Rail has completed a major programme of railway engineering work across south London, Kent and Sussex over the long weekend.

With more than 90% of the railway having remained open over the weekend, Network Rail’s engineers completed a number of critical upgrades for the continued safe and reliable running of the railway, including:

• The rebuilding of a busy railway junction at Battersea, including the laying around 6km of new signalling and telecommunications cables
• Installing a new signalling system at Lewisham
• Laying over 5km of new track between Eastbourne and Hastings, and installing a new level crossing at Pevensey
• New track on the Bromley North branch line
• Landslip prevention works at Chislet, between Canterbury West and Minster

This work has improved the railway by allowing more trains to run, increasing the speed that trains can travel at and improving reliability to reduce future delays for passengers.

Speaking for the Southeastern-Network Rail Alliance, David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent Route Director, said: “I want to thank our customers for their patience while we’ve worked to modernise track, signalling, stations, structures and earthworks, helping to keep people moving for decades to come. This was the least-worst time to complete these works and continue to invest in our growing railway as part of our continued drive to improve performance.

This Easter we’ve continued to upgrade the railway for passengers with major projects in the Battersea and Lewisham areas, and between Eastbourne and Hastings.

“We also took the opportunity to do some landslip prevention works at Chislet, on the line between Canterbury West and Minster, where because of increased rainfall as a result of climate change, the railway cutting is unlikely to withstand another winter. By doing this work over Easter we’ve been able to keep the railway open for longer, with fewer weekend closures being needed in the near future”.

At Battersea Pier engineers replaced 600 metres of track, installed 1,200 metres of new conductor rail and approximately 6,000 metres of signalling and telecommunications cable.

Work was also undertaken before and after the Easter weekend at Battersea Pier, with further  work set to take place over the early the May bank holiday, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 May.

Engineering work in the Lewisham area allowed us to continue to replace all signalling equipment on the lines running through Lewisham, from New Cross to Blackheath and Hither Green.

A four-day closure between Grove Park, Sundridge Park and Bromley North allowed engineers to refurbish the track, installing 1,728 metres of new rail with approximately 2,160 tonnes of new ballast (the small stones that track rests upon).

Some 2,700 metres of track was replaced near Eastbourne at Collington, near Bexhill-on-Sea, and a new level crossing was installed at Pevensey, involving 150 tonnes of new ballast, 160 metres of new rails, 120 concrete sleepers and new road markings.

Landslip prevention works took place between Canterbury West and Ramsgate, at Chislet, with engineers undertaking earthworks repairs on the slope that forms the cutting for the railway.