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Monday 22 Aug 2016

Dover to Folkestone railway to reopen on Monday, 5 September, three months ahead of schedule.

Region & Route:

| Southern

The railway between Dover and Folkestone will reopen on Monday, 5 September following a nine-month project to repair the line.

Passengers from Dover, Deal, Walmer, Sandwich and Martin Mill will soon be able to use a full train service again, as Network Rail completes a £39.8m project. The line between Dover and Folkestone had to be closed on Christmas Eve last year after extensive damage to the sea wall was found at Shakespeare beach.

Since then, Network Rail’s orange army has worked to build a new 235 metre long viaduct supported by more than 130 concrete columns.

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne, said: "This project is a huge achievement for all involved and I'm extremely proud of what has been done by those who have been working on the project since December.

"Finishing this project three months ahead of schedule is a reflection of the continuous hard work that has been taking place here, setting the standard expected at Network Rail.

“We face some big challenges in the coming years but with the skills and the dedication on show here at Dover I know we will face them head on.”

Network Rail’s Route Managing Director for South East route John Halsall said: “On Christmas Eve last year, parts of the railway between Dover and Folkestone were completely destroyed.

“By Boxing Day, engineers were on site and since then have been working around the clock to get our railway back up and running, completing this repair work in just nine months when a job like this would normally take two years.

A huge thanks to the team for their hard work and I also would like to thank passengers on this line for their patience while the railway has been closed.”

Richard Dean, Southeastern’s Train Services Director, said: “We would like to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while this massive project was undertaken.

“When the sea wall was damaged and the railway severed it meant we were unable to run all of our services, including a full high speed service. We made sure we provided alternatives and paid compensation to passengers, but none of that is a full substitute.

“It is great news that the railway will open in just a fortnight on Monday 5 September.”

Charlie Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal said: “The work that has taken place in the last nine months is a tremendous piece of British engineering, and a tribute to the dedication of both Network Rail and Costain staff.

“The railway between Dover and Folkestone is a key method of transport for residents of Dover and Deal and I’m delighted that it has been returned to them within a year of the line being closed.”

Following the 5^th September, due to the scale of this project we still have three Sunday’s of follow up work to complete; this will allow us to complete final works resulting in smoother and quieter journeys for passengers.

The work will take place on the 11^th September, 2^nd October and 9^th October. If you are planning to travel on these dates, please check before you travel.

Throughout the duration of the work at Dover, a new timetable was put in place with a day and night bus service running to ensure passengers could keep moving.

Passengers who use the line between Dover and Folkestone were also offered a compensation package along with free car parking permits at Folkestone West whilst the line was closed.

While the railway has been closed between Dover and Folkestone, Network Rail has invested an additional £3.5m to make the line more resilient.

The work has included brickwork repairs on Shakespeare, Abbotscliffe and Martello tunnels, 2.4km of new track, and drainage work in Abbotscliffe tunnel. 

NOTES:
Dover project summary and timeline

• The railway between Dover and Folkestone will reopen three months ahead of schedule
• Engineers are working to build a new 235 metre-long viaduct, supported by 134 concrete columns
• A project of this scale would normally take two years from design to completion but the teams in the South East have done it in nine months
• As we are ahead of schedule, projects costs have come down from £44.5m to £39.8m