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Thursday 9 Mar 2023

One month to go until embankment works between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings this Easter with buses replacing trains

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Kent

Network Rail is urging passengers in South Kent travelling between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings this Easter to plan ahead and leave more time for their journeys while vital embankment improvements are completed over a nine-day period.

From Friday 7 (Good Friday) to Saturday 15 April, Network Rail’s team of engineers will be working tirelessly to stabilise cuttings and embankments at Wadhurst, Frant and Snape Wood, helping prevent the likelihood and impact of landslips in the future.

During this time, buses will replace Southeastern train services between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.

At Wadhurst and Frant, sections of a reinforced concrete wall will be built to prevent trees and soil reaching the tracks. On sections of the line near Snape Wood hundreds of five-metre-long soil nails will also be driven into the cutting to help stabilise the slopes.

In Mountsfield tunnel near Robertsbridge, 500m of track will also be replaced and sections of the track slab rebuilt. The track slab acts as a track bed for the running rails, conductor rail and sleepers in the tunnel, as well as supporting the tunnel structure. The existing track slab was built in the 1970s and needs replacing after 50 years of wear and tear.

This is the third extended line closure through Wadhurst since October 2021, but it’s still the least disruptive solution for passengers; the alternative would be a series of weekend closures. This work is part of a multi-million-pound programme of investment to address reliability challenges which have been a problem on the Tunbridge Wells to Hastings line since its construction 170 years ago.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s Kent route director, said: “It’s great to see the huge investment being made to improve the reliability on the line between Tunbridge Wells to Hastings.

“It’s a really complex part of the railway which was built in the 1850s along very hilly ground, which meant that the Victorian engineers had to excavate steep cuttings, long tunnels and build miles of embankment.

“While there is never a good time to close the railway, completing the work in an extended closure means that we can avoid causing more disruption to passengers by closing the railway over a series of weekends.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we carry out these essential works.”

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s operations and safety director, said: “We know that closing the railway for a short period isn’t ideal, but it is essential to complete the improvement works.

“We’ll make sure that all of our customers know exactly how to complete their journey between Hastings and Tunbridge Wells while Network Rail carries out this vital work.

“Our message to our customers is to check their individual journeys on the Southeastern website or app."