The Kingsferry Bridge, which carries trains from Sittingbourne to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, is due to close over a series of weeks and some weekends throughout June and July to allow major work to be undertaken on the structure.

The bridge is a combined road, railway and pedestrian crossing, it was built in the 1950s and replaced an older bridge over the river Swale, which separates the Isle of Sheppey from the mainland in Kent.

This river is also tidal and rises and falls with the changing of the tides. The bridge is a remarkable piece of engineering, it has seven spans, with the centre one capable of raising to allow tall ships to pass. It is also known that the centre span can be raised up to 20 times a day, such is the volume of river traffic.

Since the last major works in 1995, almost 30 years ago, a variety of vessels have used the bridge on land and/or passed through it on the water.

Though with the bridge’s proximity to the coast, the steel ropes which support the bridge now need replacement because of the corrosion from the sea air.

The chance to repair the bridge before the summer holidays is an ideal time to undertake the work as the Swale Crossing Bridge is less likely to close due to strong winds, plus it enables both crossings to be open for the peak summer holiday season in August.

Closure Dates

Having been previously closed on Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 June, the line will also be closed again between the upcoming following dates:

• Saturday 29 June – Saturday 6 July
• Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 July
• Saturday 20 – Saturday 27 July

During the above dates, Network Rail will be carrying out the repairs. No forms of transport will be able to use the bridge or that stretch of the river.

Southeastern trains will not be running between Sittingbourne and Sheerness-On-Sea, instead a bus replacement service will run to various timetables depending on the days of the week.

This timetable is available here. The buses will serve the following stations: Sittingbourne, Kemsley, Queenborough and Sheerness-On-Sea. The buses will be stopping at the stations or a short distance from them.

No buses will be able to serve Swale station because of low passenger numbers and the extra time it would take from having to divert off the neighbouring A249 Swale Crossing Bridge to reach the station.

Passengers are advised if they do intend to travel during the dates listed, they should allow extra time to complete their journeys.