The railway between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, and between Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings, has reopened following the completion of a £9 million programme of essential improvement works. The closure took place between Saturday 25 October and Sunday 2 November 2025, and passengers have been thanked for their patience while the upgrades were carried out.

Engineers completed 25 projects across five sites during the nine-day programme. At Etchingham, 1km of new rail was laid, alongside 1,176 low carbon sleepers and thousands of tonnes of ballast to improve ride quality. Nine bridge inspections were also carried out to ensure safety, while the Mountfield tunnel approaches were strengthened with 337 soil nails, mesh, and anti-erosion matting to prevent debris from reaching the tracks.

At West St Leonards station, the historic footbridge, in use since the 1870s, was resurfaced, with metalwork treated and repainted. In the ‘Bo Peep’ and Hastings tunnels, nearly 1,000 cubic metres of concrete were sprayed to reinforce and waterproof the 1850s-built structures. Emergency work near the River Brede involved installing 236 twelve-metre-long soil nails to stabilise a 34-metre section of embankment and constructing half a kilometre of temporary road to access the site.

Bob Coulson, infrastructure director for the South Eastern Railway, said: “We would like to thank customers for their patience while we carried out this essential work during the half-term in Sussex to help deliver better journeys. The closure was a continuation of the significant investment we have made in the Hastings line over recent years to address challenges that go back to the line’s construction over 170 years ago. Our integrated railway meant that we could also use the opportunity to carry out further improvements to minimise future disruption, and by doing it over consecutive days it was more efficient and less disruptive.”

Southern’s Customer Service Director Jenny Saunders added: “The line between Eastbourne and Ashford provides important connectivity for the towns along its route, and these works will help ensure the infrastructure stays reliable for years to come. I’d like to thank our passengers for their patience while our colleagues at Network Rail were hard at work on the line.”

Image: Network Rail