Major improvement work is set to take place between Ashford International, Maidstone East, and Borough Green & Wrotham stations from Saturday 23 May to Sunday 31 May, and with three weeks to go, customers are advised to plan ahead.
Buses will replace trains for nine days while Network Rail carries out essential upgrades to improve the long term reliability of the line.
Accessible buses will run between Ashford International, Maidstone East, and Borough Green stations for nine days from Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 May 2026.
Rail engineers will be completing several important projects, as well as using the closure to carry out other minor works, all to help deliver better journeys for customers in Kent, including:
- Stabilising rock cuttings near Maidstone East station – installing new netting and bolts on 1,300 yards of cutting to reduce the risk of rockfalls.
- Three miles of drainage upgrades will be completed in the Maidstone East area. This will help protect the railway from water damage and reduce the risk of landslips.
- New switches and crossings will be installed at platform 3 at Maidstone East to improve reliability.
- Between Harrietsham, Lenham and Charing nearly 2,286 metres of track will be replaced to support smoother and more reliable journeys. New drainage will also be installed at Lenham to reduce the flood risk.
To make the most of the time, engineers will inspect bridges at several locations between Bearsted and Ashford, carry out maintenance on over four miles of track, examine earthworks, tunnels, and cuttings along the route and replace the level crossing at Ryarsh Lane near West Malling.
David Davidson, chief operating officer for the South Eastern Railway, said: “The Ashford to Maidstone East line is an extremely busy part of our railway, but the rock cuttings here are more than 150 years old. As a result, we are seeing an increasing number of weather and ground movement related incidents which cause delays to our customers.
“We want to fix this, and we need to do the work as quickly as possible over the nine-day closure rather than during a series of disruptive weekends.
“When the line is closed we’ll take the opportunity to as much work as possible, and will be working at more on more 53 separate projects over this closure.
“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we complete these essential improvements that will help to prevent unplanned closures and delays in the years ahead.”
During the closure, accessible rail replacement buses will operate throughout the route.
- Borough Green & Wrotham–Maidstone East, calling at all stations except East Malling (three buses per hour; approx. 40 minutes).
- Maidstone East–Ashford International, calling at all stations (two buses per hour; approx. 57 minutes).
- A minibus will operate between West Malling and East Malling.
Southeastern car park season ticket holders (one month and over) on the affected line can park at any other station with their current ticket at no extra cost for the whole nine days.
Customers are advised that Borough Green & Wrotham station car park is expected to be very busy during the closure, as people drive to the station to connect with train services. People are advised to arrive early to secure a space.
Maidstone East station car park A will be used as a site compound to support the delivery of the work, with some parking spaces being unavailable before and during the closures.
Image credit: Network Rail
