Train services between Redhill and Tonbridge resumed on 2 November 2026 after a five-day emergency closure to stabilise a railway embankment near Godstone. The line linking Surrey and Kent had been closed from Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 2 November after ground movement was detected beneath the tracks.

During the closure, Network Rail engineers installed 208 sheet piles along a 126-metre stretch of embankment. The work was designed to strengthen and stabilise the railway and to prevent further movement that could otherwise have caused greater disruption to services.

Why the line closed when it did

The closure was timed to take place during the school half term, in order to minimise the impact on local users, many of whom are schoolchildren. Rail replacement buses operated between Redhill and Tonbridge throughout the five days to keep passengers moving while engineers worked on the embankment.

Engineers also completed extra track maintenance during the closure, helping to remove some speed restrictions that had been slowing trains on the line.

What the operators said

Network Rail project manager Nad Campbell thanked passengers and the local community for their patience while the essential repairs were carried out, adding that engineers had worked day and night to prevent a longer closure.

Southern head of stations Tom Easdown apologised for the disruption caused by the essential work and thanked customers for their patience. He said the operator was pleased to have restored services for customers and the local community.

Passengers should still check live departures as services settle back into their normal pattern. The reopening restores a direct Surrey-Kent link that had relied on replacement buses for five days.

Sources: Rail UK report on the Network Rail / Southern reopening, 2 November 2026; RailAdvent report on the same closure and reopening.