Landslip between Edenbridge and Tonbridge

[MotCO]

National Rail is reporting that, due to a landslip between Edenbridge and Tonbridge which has damaged tracks in the Edenbridge / Penshurst area, Southern cannot run trains between Edenbridge and Tonbridge until at least Monday 15 April, and possibly longer.

Network Rail engineers reported on Friday 29th March, that a landslip in the Edenbridge / Penshurst area has caused significant damage to the embankment that carries the railway. This will need major works to correct, and until this can be carried out trains will not be able to run through the area.

Engineers are carrying out a detailed examination of the area over the next few days. and expect to complete plans for a permanent fix by Wednesday 3 April, after which construction and repair work can commence. This work is expected to last until at least Monday 15 April, and as work progresses, more information will become available. Replacement bus services are being set up.

Incident: Edenbridge | National Rail

Buses replace trains between Edenbridge and Tonbridge until the end of the day on Sunday 14 April. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

A landslip has been discovered between Edenbridge and Tonbridge meaning that all lines are currently closed.

Trains running between Redhill and Tonbridge will be revised to start / terminate at Edenbridge.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day on Sunday 14 April.

Customer advice:

A landslip which has damaged tracks in the Edenbridge / Penshurst area means that Southern cannot run between Edenbridge and Tonbridge until at least Monday 15 April, and possibly longer. Please see the below for a breakdown of how services are affected.

Travel advice for today, Monday 1 April:

Train services will run between Redhill and Edenbridge only.

These will call at the following stations in both directions:

• Redhill
• Nutfield
• Godstone
• Edenbridge

Rail replacement buses will complete the rest of the usual route in both directions, and will call at:

• Edenbridge
• Penshurst
• Leigh
• Tonbridge

Please check before you travel both today and tomorrow. You will need to use an alternative route or a replacement bus to complete your journey, and as such it is advised that you allow at least an extra 30 minutes travel time.

Services from tomorrow, Tuesday 2 April onwards:

No train services will run between Redhill and Tonbridge in either direction, and replacement buses will serve the whole route, calling at the following stations:

• Redhill
• Nutfield (Memorial Hall)
• Godstone
• Edenbridge
• Penshurst
• Leigh
• Tonbridge

If you're travelling to / from Nutfield station, a separate minibus service will run between Nutfield station and Redhill, in both directions.

If you're travelling from Tonbridge or Leigh and you need Nutfield station, please either travel to Nutfield (Memorial Hall) on the full-size buses, or travel to Redhill and change there for the minibus service to Nutfield Station.

If you're travelling from Nutfield towards Leigh or Tonbridge, please either use the bus stops at Nutfield (Memorial Hall), or use the minibus service from the station to Redhill, changing there for the full-size buses towards Leigh and Tonbridge.

Replacement bus stops:

Buses will stop at the following locations:

• Redhill: outside the main station entrance on Princess Way.
• Nutfield: full-size buses on the Redhill-Edenbridge and Redhill-Tonbridge routes will stop on the A25 at the Nutfield Memorial Hall (please note, this is just over one mile north of the station), minibuses will stop close to the station on North Station Approach.
• Godstone: on Eastbourne Road, near The Lagham Pub (near the platform 2 side of the station).
• Edenbridge: on Station Road, near the station itself.
• Penshurst: outside the station, near The Little Brown Jug Public House.
• Leigh: outside the Fleur de Lis Public House on the High Street.
• Tonbridge: outside the front of the station.

Alternative travel and parking options:

Your rail ticket for the Redhill to Tonbridge line will be accepted on the following alternative routes, at no additional cost to you:

• If you are travelling between Edenbridge, Penshurst or Leigh and stations in the London area, you may wish to use Southeastern services between Tonbridge, Hildenborough (near Leigh), London Bridge and London Charing Cross. From London Bridge or London Charing Cross, you can use London Underground services to other London terminals (such as London Victoria) at no additional cost.
• If you are travelling between Redhill and Tonbridge, you can travel via London Bridge, using Thameslink services between Redhill and London Bridge, and Southeastern services between London Bridge and Tonbridge. The same applies in the opposite direction.
• If you are travelling between Leigh, Penshurst or Edenbridge and East Croydon, alternative Southern trains on the Uckfield Line serve Edenbridge Town, which is about a 10-15 minute walk from Edenbridge station.
• If you are travelling from Edenbridge, you can walk to Edenbridge Town which takes approximately 20 minutes. From Edenbridge Town, you can board alternative Southern services towards East Croydon and London. Southern connections are available on the London Bridge / Uckfield route. A walking route can be found here.

You may also travel from stations between East Grinstead and Oxted, and from stations between Caterham and Purley.

You can check if your journey will be affected using the live route map here.

See the alternative route maps here for help planning your alternative route.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Following a report of an issue with the track in the Edenbridge / Penshurst area on Friday 29 March, Network Rail engineers have identified that a landslip has caused significant damage to the embankment that carries the railway. This will need major works to correct, and until this can be carried out trains will not be able to run through the area.

Engineers are carrying out a detailed examination of the area over the next few days. and expect to complete plans for a permanent fix by Wednesday 3 April, after which construction and repair work can commence. This work is expected to last until at least Monday 15 April, and as work progresses, more information will become available.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.

 

[Kite159]

Wasn't there another landslip in that area within the last few years?

 

[BJames]

Wasn't there another landslip in that area within the last few years?

There was, although it was on the other side of Edenbridge station more towards Godstone. It was very hard to access the site, being so remote and I think Network Rail had to build a road to access the site in that instance?

 

[Somewhere]

There was, although it was on the other side of Edenbridge station more towards Godstone. It was very hard to access the site, being so remote and I think Network Rail had to build a road to access the site in that instance?

I think it was near where the Crowhurst Spur was?

That line is very old, being the first route from London to Dover as the South Eastern Railway was only allowed one route south of London at the time.

 

[Deepgreen]

There have been numerous slips of various magnitudes over recent years. The line is very prone to closure for this and other reasons. This was the poster at Redhill yesterday evening - 'apologise' mis-spelt and asterisks used instead of the convention of 'XX' for hours. Also, trains were running to Edenbridge so the information was wrong.

 

[izvor]

I think it was near where the Crowhurst Spur was?

Yes, it was actually between the site of Crowhurst South Junction and the bridge over the Oxted-East Grinstead line.

Network Rail had to build road access from the south side as (apparently) the landowner on the other side was obstructive. As it turned out, this made access easier than expected. The site is still clearly visible.

 

[duncombec]

There have been numerous slips of various magnitudes over recent years. The line is very prone to closure for this and other reasons. This was the poster at Redhill yesterday evening - 'apologise' mis-spelt and asterisks used instead of the convention of 'XX' for hours. Also, trains were running to Edenbridge so the information was wrong.

View attachment 155601

If I've got the yesterday's correct and you took this poster on Monday evening, whilst it was indeed incorrect for Monday it *is* correct for the start of service Tuesday onwards, where, according to Southern, the rail replacement bus now runs the entire length of the Tonbridge - Redhill line until expected reinstatement on 15th April (closed to end of service 14th).

Credit to Southern for being so clear about the stopping arrangements at Nutfield (through buses stop at the Memorial Hall, a mile away from the station, with a separate shuttle from Redhill to Nutfield Station proper) and stopping at both Edenbridge and Edenbridge Town (although this seems silly not to, given the road layout and route taken).

 

[izvor]

Credit to Southern for being so clear about the stopping arrangements at Nutfield (through buses stop at the Memorial Hall, a mile away from the station, with a separate shuttle from Redhill to Nutfield Station proper) and stopping at both Edenbridge and Edenbridge Town (although this seems silly not to, given the road layout and route taken).

…although the original post has been amended to call at Edenbridge station forecourt (the usual arrangement), rather than on the main road. Hope the message gets through to the drivers!

Operators noted, Go-Ahead London and the inevitable Ensignbus, no doubt others too. As you state, now running full length of route, due apparently to the difficulty of sourcing NR personnel to change the points at Edenbridge for the full fortnight, which is understandable.

 

[Minstral25]

…As you state, now running full length of route, due apparently to the difficulty of sourcing NR personnel to change the points at Edenbridge for the full fortnight, which is understandable.

Where did you get that info from, Local Rail users association were told that it is due to Network Rail doing other work whilst the line is closed.

 

[30907]

Where did you get that info from, Local Rail users association were told that it is due to Network Rail doing other work whilst the line is closed.

Both could be true!

 

[Minstral25]

Both could be true!

Fair point but doing other work sounds like an excuse made up for local rail users

 

[Benjaminmorgan]

I thought Transport UK do Southern rail replacement not Go Ahead London?

 

[Class455]

I thought Transport UK do Southern rail replacement not Go Ahead London?

Transport UK now manage the rail replacement contract. This doesn't mean that you won't be seeing Go-Ahead London buses on rail replacement as they are still subcontracting work to them.

 

[Benjaminmorgan]

Cheers

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Fair point but doing other work sounds like an excuse made up for local rail users

It's not.

 

[duncombec]

…although the original post has been amended to call at Edenbridge station forecourt (the usual arrangement), rather than on the main road. Hope the message gets through to the drivers!

Operators noted, Go-Ahead London and the inevitable Ensignbus, no doubt others too. As you state, now running full length of route, due apparently to the difficulty of sourcing NR personnel to change the points at Edenbridge for the full fortnight, which is understandable.

Someone seems to have it in for this area this week. I'm not local enough to check for myself, but Ensign have generally had a bus track most days for spare duties, which had led me to check roadwork information. Leigh station is currently inaccessible owing to an emergency road closure for water main works (the Southern page is updated to tell passengers to use the help point(s) - presumably a taxi would be arranged?) until Friday, whilst Haxted Road is closed between Edenbridge and Godstone for the entire school holidays, so if rail replacement in this area would use that (Streetview doesn't suggest any reason why not), it is currently diverted via Lingfield, and if it would go via Lingfield anyway there will presumably be more traffic than normal.

From the relationship between railway and rail replacement bus, you can certainly tell the road network in this area tends north/south rather than east/west!

 

[izvor]

Where did you get that info from, Local Rail users association were told that it is due to Network Rail doing other work whilst the line is closed.

It came from "Gensheet" via another contact, I do not use this myself, but believe it to be accurate.

As 30907 says, both could be true.

Haxted Road is closed between Edenbridge and Godstone for the entire school holidays

This is a frequent occurrence as it is susceptible to flooding at Haxted. The alternative route via Dormansland is not significantly longer, and timings are generous for normal traffic conditions.

Yes the road network is more north-south, particularly between Redhill and Edenbridge. Look at Paddock Wood to Ashford, which is more extreme! The railway really cuts across the grain of the countryside, if that makes sense.

 

[swt_passenger]

BBC reporting the line to be reopened on time:

A railway line linking Kent and Surrey is due to reopen on Monday morning, after work to repair a landslide was completed on time. The Tonbridge to Redhill line, operated by Southern, has been closed since the Easter weekend after a landslip at the Bough Beech embankment. Engineers from Network Rail have installed 91 sheet piles and strengthened the railway embankment over a 100m (328ft) section, with soil nails underpinning the railway.

Tonbridge to Redhill line set to reopen on time after landslip

The Tonbridge to Redhill line has been closed since the Easter weekend.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[pembroke]

Just to say a big thank you to the engineers for the repairs and completion in the time estimated. This line is such a important link, used by many.