Buses are replacing trains between Redhill in Surrey and Tonbridge in Kent from Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November inclusive, for emergency works near Godstone following a landslip. Engineers monitoring embankments detected movement in the ground beneath the track at Godstone, and a speed restriction was imposed until the works began.

Five days of stabilisation work

During the five-day closure, 208 sheets of metal, each 10 metres long, will be piled in to stabilise and strengthen a 126-metre stretch of embankment. Engineers will also carry out extra track maintenance during the closure to help remove some existing speed restrictions.

Which stations are affected

Rail replacement buses run between Redhill and Tonbridge calling at all stations, and additionally call at Edenbridge Town for connections with Uckfield line services. Stations affected are Tonbridge, Leigh, Penshurst, Edenbridge, Godstone, Nutfield and Redhill, and Redhill station car park is partially closed to accommodate the replacement buses.

Network Rail said the decision was not taken lightly and apologised for the disruption and short notice. The closure is separate from the long-planned closure between Tonbridge and Wadhurst running from 24 October to 1 November, and trains to London and Ashford remain unaffected.

Sources: Network Rail and KentNews.Online.