Spa Valley steam ferries passengers from stricken Uckfield line
AN emergency closure of Network Rail’s Uckfield line caused by a landslip during the weekend of February 29-March 1 saw the Spa Valley Railway step into the breach.
Network Rail engineers took emergency action to shore up a damaged section of the Uckfield line that resulted in its partial closure.
A 32-yard section of embankment just outside Edenbridge, which had been built in Victorian times from Wealden clay, began to slip following storms Ciara and Dennis. Trains were able to continue to run with speed restrictions but urgent work was needed to stop the line from being blocked completely.
Engineers built a steel wall over the weekend to hold the railway in place so it could reopen for business on Monday morning, with further work continuing while trains run.
Network Rail’s route director for Sussex, Shaun King, said: “We’ve had to take this action because there’s a serious risk this landslip could get much worse very quickly. Short notice work is never easy for passengers, but in this case it will stop much worse disruption from happening in future.”
Train operator Southern laid on a direct replacement bus service between Eridge and Tunbridge Wells Central – and the heritage line offered to allow main line passengers to ride on its scheduled services free of charge between those two locations, provided they held a ticket from the Uckfield route to London. Those travelling were able to use South Eastern services from Tunbridge Wells Central for onward National Rail journeys.
The services were hauled by privately-owned BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80078, which had just arrived on loan until April 4-5.
Southern customer services director Chris Fowler said: “This is a fabulous gesture by our community partner, the Spa Valley Railway. While it may really only provide a viable alternative for London-bound passengers travelling from Eridge, it still provides the possibility of a unique experience.”
Spa Valley commercial manager Johnnie Pay, a fireman on the train, said: “We’re delighted to be helping our friends at Southern.”
BR withdrew services from the Eridge to Tunbridge Wells line on July 6, 1985.