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Tuesday 9 Feb 2021

Freezing weather means some railway lines in Kent will stay closed today (Tuesday) – please check before you travel

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

More lines have opened to trains in Kent and South East London today after two days of snowy weather limited services in the county.

However, freezing weather and snow does mean that some lines will have to remain without trains today as Network Rail concentrates its treatment trains on the busiest lines.

The following routes will not be served by trains:

• Medway Valley line between Strood and Paddock Wood
• Sheppey Branch between Sittingbourne and Sheerness-on-Sea
• Bromley North branch between Grove Park and Bromley North.

Network Rail’s route director for Kent, Fiona Taylor said: “We’ve not reached this decision lightly but we’re faced with really difficult freezing conditions tomorrow and in fact for most of the week.

“The live rail that powers trains can get iced up by snow and freezing rain, which means trains cannot draw power and stall. We’re running a full programme of anti-ice trains today and all week but the nature of the weather today means we’ll need to treat double the amount we normally do and the only way we can achieve that is by concentrating on the main lines.

“In addition, the number of trains on those routes means the live rail will have less time to freeze between services so this is the best way to guarantee a reliable service for our essential workers.

“Thank you so much for your patience and I’m so sorry we’ve had to take this decision. We are reviewing our plans every day and will keep everyone informed.”

Southeastern's Train Services Director Scott Brightwell said: “We’re grateful to our passengers who may have needed to travel but who have taken the opportunity to work from home or not to travel at all in the past few days during the worst of this cold spell. While government advice remains not to travel unless it’s essential, we are now able to run more trains on more routes, except some branch lines.

"We want to thank everyone for their patience and their co-operation.”

For more on Network Rail’s snow and ice treatment trains in Kent – this video is a great guide: