Hastings Line to Close Between Tonbridge and Wadhurst for Nine Days Over Half Term

The Hastings line will close between Tonbridge and Wadhurst for nine days over the October half term, as Network Rail carries out a major programme of track renewal and maintenance work - including at Tunbridge Wells' Grove Hill Tunnel.

No trains will run between Tonbridge and Wadhurst from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, with the closure extending further south to Battle on that final day. Rail replacement buses will operate between Tonbridge and Wadhurst throughout, and between Tonbridge and Battle on 1 November only. Services from Tonbridge to Charing Cross, Redhill, Ramsgate and Dover Priory will continue to run as normal. Southeastern is warning that replacement bus journeys will take longer than the train, and is advising passengers to check before travelling and allow extra time.

The main job is renewing worn slab track in Grove Hill Tunnel, just south of Tunbridge Wells - track that's fixed to a concrete base to strengthen and stabilise the line through the tunnel. Engineers will use the same closure to inspect Wadhurst Tunnel's portals and shafts, check earthworks and drainage near Stonegate, install new power equipment and repair the station canopy at Etchingham, and replace worn track and inspect Mountfield Tunnel around Robertsbridge - alongside general vegetation management, drainage and structural checks along the route.

Passengers at Tunbridge Wells and Frant stations should expect reduced parking, with part of each car park given over to construction activity supporting the Grove Hill Tunnel work. At Etchingham, Robertsbridge, Stonegate and Wadhurst, station car parks will instead be needed for the replacement buses to turn and lay over, also cutting the parking available. Southeastern is warning that Tonbridge station's own car park is likely to be particularly busy, as passengers from along the closed section drive there to pick up normal train services. Tickets will be accepted on alternative routes during the closure: via Ashford International for Hastings/Ore-London journeys, and via the Southern route from Uckfield for passengers at Stonegate, Wadhurst and Frant - though Southeastern notes that route runs a low-frequency service.

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern's Director of Safety and Performance, said: "The renewal of the slab track at Grove Hill Tunnel is a major piece of engineering and, by combining it with a wide range of other improvements across the route, we're making the most of the time the railway is closed and reducing the need for future disruption."

Source: Southeastern