Rail line to reopen early

A major railway line that has been shut since December is due to reopen this autumn – months ahead of schedule.

The Dover to Folkestone line, which was closed due to storm damage on Christmas Eve, was initially not expected to reopen until this December.

But now Network Rail says the £39.8 million rebuilding project is ahead of schedule and it is working towards completing the project this autumn. Engineers are working to build a new 235metre viaduct. Network Rail area director Paul Rutter said: “We understand the impact this closure has had on passengers, and our engineers have been working round the clock to finish the repairs and get trains running again.

“We had set aside time for interruptions to the project through bad weather and other issues which can occur on major projects, but so far that contingency has not proved necessary.

“As a result we are much further ahead than we had expected and have seen the overall cost of the project decrease. As soon as we have a firm date for reopening the railway line, we will let passengers know.”

Since December there has been a replacement bus service in place.