Work is starting to replace track and points in the Dartford area as part of a £4.5m project to replace the junction at Slade Green.

Passengers are being asked to check before the travel on trains in the area as services may be amended or replaced by buses.

The project will see the junction at Slade Green replaced in stages from now until Mid March. Some of the work will take place overnight when the trains are not running.

The junction is where lines from South East London and Greenwich meet others and head towards Dartford and Kent, the track is almost 50 years old.

316 metres of track along with 7 points and crossovers will be replaced along with 820 sleepers.

In total £1.25bn will be invested in the South East to upgrade all parts of the railway infrastructure.

Over 5 consecutive weekends, from Saturday 16 January 2021 to Sunday 14 February, train services between Dartford and Barnehurst / Plumstead will be affected and passengers making essential journeys should check journey planners for more information. Work will also take place on the weekend of 13/14 March.

Local residents and businesses will be able to attend virtual drop-in sessions to find out more about the work and how they may be affected by visiting the Network Rail website.

Network Rail‘s Route Director for Kent, Fiona Taylor, said: “This investment in our railway is the largest in history and has already delivered major benefits for Kent’s rail passengers.

“For safety reasons, our work often needs to be carried out while trains are not running and we ask our neighbours to bear with us during any disturbance. Rest assured that we will be keeping noise levels to an absolute minimum.”

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern Train Services Director, said: “The junction at Slade Green is a heavily used part of our network and I am pleased that it is being renewed as part of the South East Upgrade.”

“It will mean more reliable journeys for our passengers but there will unfortunately be some weekend disruption. A bus service for essential travel will be operating for our customers.”

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