FACTORY FIRE AT PADDOCK WOOD

Tuesday 5 Jul 2005

FACTORY FIRE AT PADDOCK WOOD

Region & Route:: | Southern

At 4.30pm on Monday 4 July Network Rail was informed of a factory fire on the Transfesa industrial estate in Paddock Wood, close to the Paddock Wood to Maidstone West branch line. The line between Paddock Wood and Maidstone West was immediately closed because it was unsafe for train services to pass through the thick black smoke coming from the fire. While the Kent Fire and Rescue Service continue to secure the area, Network Rail will be unable to access the rail infrastructure to assess the full extent of the damage along the line. However, it is evident that serious damage has occurred to lineside cabling and signal control systems. It is anticipated at this stage that the line will remain closed until at least Friday morning to allow engineers to access the line and repair the damage caused. Services between Paddock Wood and Maidstone West will be replaced by bus services provided by South Eastern Trains while the line remains closed.

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