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Tuesday 4 Nov 2025

Railway re-opens between Tunbridge Wells, Hastings and Bexhill following £9m programme of essential improvement works

Region & Route:

Southern

The railway has reopened between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, and between Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings following the completion of a £9 million programme of essential improvement works.

Passengers using the railway between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings and between Bexhill and Hastings have been thanked for their patience while the work took place between Saturday 25 October and Sunday 2 November 2025.

Engineers used the time to deliver a wide range of essential upgrades to improve the safety and performance of the railway.

Over the nine day period, 25 projects were undertaken at five sites, including at Etchingham where 1km of new rail was laid, along with 1,176 low carbon sleepers and thousands of tonnes of new ballast to give passengers a smoother ride.

Nine bridge inspections were undertaken across the closed lines to ensure structures are safe and reliable, while on the approaches to the Mountfield tunnel 1,000 square metre of cutting has been strengthened with 337 soil nails, mesh and anti-erosion matting, work which has stabilised the cutting and which will stop debris and soil from reaching the tracks.

At West St Leonards station, the footbridge which has been carrying passengers across the track since the 1870s, has been resurfaced, with the metal treated and repainted.

In the ‘Bo Peep’ and Hastings tunnels, contractors sprayed nearly 1,000 cubic metres of tunnel with concrete to strengthen and waterproof the 1850s-built structures.

In an emergency intervention elsewhere on the railway next to the River Brede,  engineers stopped a landslip and lifted speed restrictions after installing 236 12-metre long soil nails which have been used to strengthen a 34-metre section of embankment.  Half a kilometre of temporary road was also built to access the site.

Bob Coulson, infrastructure director for the South Eastern Railway, said: “We would like to thank customers for their patience while we carried out this essential work during the half-term in Sussex to help deliver better journeys.

“The closure was a continuation of the significant investment we have made in the Hastings line over recent years to address challenges that go back to the line’s construction over 170 years ago.

“Our integrated railway meant that we could also use the opportunity to carry out further improvements to minimise future disruption, and by doing it over consecutive days it was more efficient and less disruptive.”

Southern’s Customer Service Director Jenny Saunders said: “The line between Eastbourne and Ashford provides important connectivity for the towns along its route, and these works will help ensure the infrastructure stays reliable for years to come.

“I’d like to thank our passengers for their patience while our colleagues at Network Rail were hard at work on the line.”