| Kent rail line closes for nine days for upgrade work - May 2026 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:27, 24th May 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Rail line closes for nine days for upgrade work
A railway line in Kent has closed for nine days so that upgrade works can be completed.
The line between Borough Green & Wrotham and Ashford International, via Maidstone East, will be closed until 31 May as Network Rail complete works for the "long-term reliability" of the line.
During the closure, buses will replace trains with services running from Borough Green to London and also from Ashford. Stations that will have no service include West Malling, Bearsted and Lenham.
Passengers have also been told they can use services from Maidstone West to Paddock Wood to connect with services to London, which is 17 minutes quicker than using a bus and train to the capital.
Works will include improving drainage in the Wheeler Street tunnel between Maidstone East and Bearstead, replacing nearly 2,500 yards of track between Harrietsham and Charing, and the replacement of the level crossing at Ryarsh Lane near West Malling.
The line had to partially close in 2021 after a landslip in the Bearsted area.
(BBC article continues)
A railway line in Kent has closed for nine days so that upgrade works can be completed.
The line between Borough Green & Wrotham and Ashford International, via Maidstone East, will be closed until 31 May as Network Rail complete works for the "long-term reliability" of the line.
During the closure, buses will replace trains with services running from Borough Green to London and also from Ashford. Stations that will have no service include West Malling, Bearsted and Lenham.
Passengers have also been told they can use services from Maidstone West to Paddock Wood to connect with services to London, which is 17 minutes quicker than using a bus and train to the capital.
Works will include improving drainage in the Wheeler Street tunnel between Maidstone East and Bearstead, replacing nearly 2,500 yards of track between Harrietsham and Charing, and the replacement of the level crossing at Ryarsh Lane near West Malling.
The line had to partially close in 2021 after a landslip in the Bearsted area.
(BBC article continues)
