Travel advice
From Saturday 25 October through to Sunday 2 November (inclusive), buses will replace trains between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings. Our normal service will resume on Monday 3 November.
Please note that during this time there will be no Southern trains between Bexhill and Hastings. You can find more details on the Southern website.
There will also be preparation work taking place over the weekends of 11 and 12 October and 18 and 19 October inclusive, as shown below:
11 October – buses will replace trains between Battle and Hastings
12 October – buses will replace trains between Robertsbridge and Hastings
18 October – buses will replace trains between Battle and Hastings
19 October – buses will replace trains between Battle and Hastings
Buses will replace Southern trains between Bexhill and Ashford International on all four days.
What work is taking place?
We’re carrying out a number of essential upgrades along the route to help deliver better, more reliable travel for you. The work includes:
- Repairing brickwork and upgrading drainage in the Bo Peep and Hastings tunnels (near St Leonards Warrior Square station) to prevent leaks that could damage railway equipment.
- Fully refurbishing the footbridge at West St Leonards station.
- Replacing nearly a kilometre of old rails, sleepers and ballast (the stones under the track) between Etchingham station and Mountfield tunnel.
- Between Frant and Wadhurst stations, renewing the moveable rails (known as switches) that let trains change path, and upgrading the track circuits that detect your train’s location.
You can find out more about all the work being done on the Network Rail website.
What is the ticketing and travel advice?
We’re committed to keeping you informed by giving as much advance notice as possible about any planned engineering work or extended line closures on our network. This helps you to make the best travel choices.
If this engineering work will affect your journey you may wish to check the available ticket options between now and then to ensure you have selected an option which suits your plans and journey requirements.
Compensation for ticket holders, including season tickets, will continue to be available under the industry standard Delay Repay scheme. Under this scheme you may be eligible to claim compensation if your journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more against the revised published timetable. The revised timetables are available in journey planners.
Visit our Delay Repay compensation page to find out more.
Thank you for bearing with us while we complete these essential repairs. If you need to travel during the closure, accessible replacement buses will be available, and more details are set out below. Please check journey planners and allow extra time for your journey.
Ticket acceptance on other routes during the closure
- You can use your ticket from Hastings/Ore to Ashford International.
- You can also use highspeed services between Ashford International and London St Pancras, but these services are usually very busy at peak-times.
- If you’re travelling from Stonegate, Wadhurst or Frant, you can use the Southern route from Uckfield but please note that off-peak services are infrequent, so you should check journey planners before travelling.
Replacement bus service
From 25 October through to 2 November replacement buses will run as follows:
- Fast service Tunbridge Wells - Hastings: no stops in-between (Journey time approx. 75mins)
- Tunbridge Wells - Hastings: calling at all stations
- Battle – Hastings: calling at all stations except Crowhurst
- Battle - Crowhurst shuttle
You can check bus times in our journey planner.
Getting between the stations and the replacement buses
All the replacement bus stops are close to the station entrances. You can check the location of all the station replacement bus stops on the download maps available below:
Are the replacement buses accessible?
- All of our replacement buses can be used by customers who have accessibility needs.
- If you require assistance for your journey during the closure please call our assisted travel team on 08007 834 524. Visit our assisted travel page for more booking information.
- For more information about the facilities, check our replacement bus service page.
Which stations between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings have accessible toilets?
- Tunbridge Wells – Platform 1 and 2
- Battle – Platform 1
- St Leonards Warrior Square – Booking Hall
- Hastings – Booking Hall
- There are also toilet facilities at Etchingham, Robertsbridge, Stonegate and Wadhurst but these are not accessible.
You can check what facilities are available at each station on the station information page.
Is there alternative parking?
Car park season ticket holders can use a number of alternatives at no extra cost when the line is closed from 25 October to 2 November.
They are Tonbridge (limited spaces), Marden or Paddock Wood. You can also use the Southern car parks at Crowborough and Eridge.
You do not need to do register as the carpark enforcement systems will automatically recognise your vehicle registration.
Car parks between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings
There will be reduced parking at the following stations as space is needed by the Network Rail engineering teams.
- Etchingham
- Wadhurst
- St Leonards Warrior Square
Please check signage at the stations for more details about the spaces that are unavailable and on what dates.
Where can I find help at the stations if needed?
There will be Southeastern and agency support staff at the stations to assist customers. If no staff are available then please use the Help Points at the stations.
Why are you closing the line for nine-days in a row rather than over a series of weekends?
Southeastern and Network Rail have carefully planned this work to take place over nine days rather than over a number of weekends to reduce the total amount of time when journeys are changed and delivers the reliability benefits more quickly.
The timing of the closure coincides with the October Half-Term when fewer people use our trains for work or study, and there may be more flexibility with travel plans. There are also more replacement buses available during the school holidays.
You can find out more about how this line closure affects services and any further line closures on our planned engineering work page.
