Media centre

Friday 15 Jan 2021

Essential engineering work about to get underway at Slade Green, near Dartford

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

Rail users are being advised to check before they travel in the Dartford area as work to replace the track and points at Slade Green junction, up the line towards London, starts this weekend.

The £4.5 million project will reduce faults and delays at the heavily used junction, where lines from South East London and Greenwich meet each other on their way to Dartford and Kent. It is a key part of the South East Upgrade where a record £1.25bn is being invested to upgrade track, signalling, structures, earthworks, stations and depots to give passengers better journeys.

Train services between Barnehurst /Plumstead and Dartford will be affected over five consecutive weekends from Saturday 16 January 2021 to Sunday 14 February, and then again on the weekend commencing 13 March 2021. Passengers who must make essential journeys are being advised to plan ahead and check journey planners. 

The current track is nearly fifty years old and is in a critical location to support train performance to and from the depot where trains are stored and maintained.

The works include the renewal of 7 switch and crossing units over 316 metres of track. 2,900 tonnes of ballast will be used during the project and 820 railway sleepers will be replaced.

Virtual drop-in sessions have been arranged for local residents and businesses to find out more about the scheme.

Network Rail’s Route Director for Kent, Fiona Taylor, said: “This investment in our railway is the largest in history and has already delivered major benefits for Kent’s rail passengers.

“For safety reasons, our work often needs to be carried out while trains are not running and we ask our neighbours to bear with us during any disturbance. Rest assured that we will be keeping noise levels to an absolute minimum.”

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern Train Services Director, said: “The junction at Slade Green is a heavily used part of our network and I am pleased that it is being renewed as part of the South East Upgrade.

"It will mean more reliable journeys for our passengers but there will unfortunately be some weekend disruption. A bus service for essential travel will be operating for our customers.”

The work each weekend will be split into four phases. Firstly, preparation works will take place to setup the work site, then the main track renewal will take place using excavators and engineering trains, excavating the track bed, and then replacing the rails and ballast using a special track-laying machine and road/rail diggers.  Next the newly laid ballast will be tamped down with a special train, packing it under the rail sleepers to ensure the track sits in the correct position. Finally, the engineering team will complete any welding and check that the track is settled and safely in place for the running of trains.