Passengers advised to plan ahead as Victorian railway viaduct at Ashurst station in Kent set for £3.5m makeover

Network Rail have issued the following press release about the refurbishment of Ashurst viaduct:

A £3.5m refurbishment of a 134-year-old railway viaduct in Kent is about to get underway, with three weekends of engineering work planned for this summer - starting on Saturday (2 July).

Network Rail’s work on Mill Stream railway viaduct at Ashurst station, on the line between Oxted and Uckfield, will keep trains and passengers moving over it safely and reliably for another 50 years.

Katie Frost, Network Rail’s route director for Sussex (the part of the railway that manages the Uckfield line) said: “Our railway has a host of Victorian structures that underpin the millions of journeys passengers take with us every year and we have to take good care of them. Mill Stream Viaduct is made of metal, and we need to give it a thorough refurbishment to keep it strong for the future, blasting the old paint off, repainting and repairing the metal sections, replacing the decking, the track and the timbers that support the track too. We’ll be able to do most of that work while trains are still running but there will be three weekends when we have to work on the track – starting this week.

“Thanks to everyone for their patience in advance while we do the work.”

Chris Fowler, Southern’s customer services director, said: “This important investment will protect the safety and reliability of the route for our customers for decades to come. We thank all users of the Uckfield branch in advance for their patience during the three weekends when the line has to close.”

The first phase of strengthening work will continue from June through to summer, and the second phase from October to November.

To support the delivery of the project no trains will run between Oxted and Uckfield on the following dates:

• Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July 2022
• Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2022
• Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August 2022

Buses will replace train services between Oxted and Crowborough, and between Crowborough and Uckfield, on these weekends.

Mill Stream Viaduct was built from wrought iron in 1888 when the line from Oxted was opened through to Eridge via Hever, Cowden and Ashurst, joining the already-open Tunbridge Wells to Lewes railway.