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A crucial part of Rochester’s new station will be slid almost 40 metres on a bed of air this Easter as part of a £147m scheme to improve the railway through the Medway Towns.

Passengers in Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire and south west London can look forward to more trains, more seats and improved stations as five years of massive investment in the rail network connecting London Waterloo and the South West begins tomorrow (Tuesday).

Passengers in Kent, Sussex and south London can look forward to more trains, more seats and improved stations as five years of massive investment in the county’s railways begins this week.

After weeks of round-the-clock work, Network Rail engineers are on track to re-open the full length of the Hastings to Tonbridge railway line to passengers next week.

The first phase of the dramatic rebuild of London Bridge railway station is set to finish on schedule next Monday (31 March) when the first two new platforms will be brought into use and the next two are closed for redevelopment.

A Victorian signal box took to the skies under a crane in the early hours of Sunday morning, marking the culmination of a £21m investment in the railway through the Arun Valley.

Engineers continue to work to rebuild the damaged railway embankment at Whatlington, which has left train services unable to run between Battle and Robertsbridge since early February.

Passengers travelling to and through Southampton are reminded to check before they travel at weekends between now and May as Network Rail will be carrying out extensive planned improvement work to increase the reliability of the railway in the Southampton area.