A week long engineering project gets underway tomorrow between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.

Following on from last year’s work, the project, which takes place between Saturday 22nd and Sunday 30th October, is part of an ongoing improvement programme by Network Rail.

Since opening in the 1850s, the line has suffered from problems with earthworks at cuttings and embankments as it takes trains through Kent and East Sussex.

Along with earthwork improvements, new track will be installed at Wadhurst Tunnel as well as work taking place in Mountfield Tunnel near Robertsbridge.

The final phase will take place for a week around Easter, from Friday 09 to Sunday 16 April 2023.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route director for Kent said: “The closure of the railway for nine days is good news for passengers on the route. We’re finally able to deliver sustained investment in this railway’s civil engineering, really for the first time since it was built. When the engineers of the 1850s cut the tracks through the hills, they cut deeply and cheaply, leaving a legacy of unstable earthworks that have a history of collapse.

“We took a week last year to shore them up around Wadhurst and other locations, and we’re going to be back doing more of the same work this time round, and again in April 2023.

“I’m really grateful for the understanding passengers have shown while we’ve been working on this route and I would ask them to check before they travel during the October half-term week, as rail replacement buses will be in use on the whole length of the route.”

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s Operations and Safety Director, said: “We know that closing the railway for a short period isn’t ideal, but 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 journey on the Southeastern website or app, and after the work’s finished they’ll return to a more reliable railway. “