Parts of Hastings Railway will be shut for 9 days

Network Rail has announced a major nine-day closure on a vital section of the Hastings line, stretching between Tonbridge and Wadhurst, from Saturday, 24 October to Sunday, 1 November 2026.

On the final day of the engineering work (Sunday, 1 November), the closure will be extended further down the line to Battle. The work has been intentionally timed to coincide with the October school half-term to minimise disruption to daily commuters and take advantage of lower overall passenger volumes.

🛠️ Why is the line closing?

The main focus of the essential upgrade is inside the Grove Hill Tunnel (just south of Tunbridge Wells), where engineers will completely replace the worn "slab track"—a reinforced concrete base track used to stabilise and strengthen railway tunnels. Crews will also use the nine-day window to complete vital maintenance, infrastructure renewals, and structural inspections at: 

• Wadhurst Tunnel
• Mountfield Tunnel
• Stonegate
• Etchingham
• Robertsbridge

🚌 Impact on Services & Alternative Routes

• Rail Replacement Buses: Buses will replace all train services on the blocked sections of the route. A shuttle train service will continue to operate normally on the open section between Wadhurst and Hastings. 
• Unaffected Services: Southeastern trains running from Tonbridge toward London, Redhill, and Ashford remain entirely unaffected. 
• Ticket Acceptance: Tickets will be accepted on several alternative routes, including Southern services via the Uckfield line to London, routes connecting Hastings/Ore to Ashford International, and high-speed services between Ashford International and London St Pancras. 

🚗 Station Car Park Restrictions

Several station car parks will either be fully closed or experience significantly reduced capacity to accommodate heavy engineering machinery and replacement bus operations: 

• Construction Use: Tunbridge Wells and Frant.
• Bus Operations: Etchingham, Robertsbridge, Stonegate, and Wadhurst.
• High Congestion: The car park at Tonbridge station is expected to be exceptionally busy throughout the week. 

Passengers are heavily advised to check travel planners on the Southeastern Railway Website to map out extra journey time before heading out.