Task force established to rebuild damaged Kent line

A task force has been formed to help with the work to rebuild the line between Dover and Folkestone.

The line was washed away when storms damaged the sea wall at Shakespeare Beach, near Dover, on December 24 ( RAIL 792).

Network Rail spokesman Chris Denham explained that storms lowered the beach level at the site by almost two metres in the lead-up to Christmas, exposing the foot of the wall to the full force of the sea. This led to sink holes appearing in the railway above, and these have continued to develop as the chalk infill has become destabilised.

Led by Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke, the task force will work to reduce the impact on passengers. The working group includes Network Rail, Southeastern, Elphicke and fellow MPs Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) and Craig McKinley (South Thanet), Dover District Council and Kent County Council. It is planned to share information and tackle any administrative or bureaucratic hurdles that could affect work to rebuild the railway.

NR Route Managing Director Alasdair Coates said: “This task force is a positive step forward for our project and will make a big difference to what will be a major civil engineering challenge for us.

“We realise that passengers in Dover, Deal, Folkestone and Sandwich are keen to know when we will be able to re-open the line, and I can reassure them we are working very hard to get them an answer.

“This is a vulnerable stretch of railway and we have to find the right design to last many more years into the future. As soon as we have a design and a timescale we are confident in, we will let everyone know.”

Elphicke added: “I know how tough things are for commuters and rail users. I am doing everything I can to ensure Network Rail gets our railway back open as soon as possible.

“The high-speed rail link is crucial to the developments we have planned in Dover and Deal. It’s important the line is repaired as soon as possible - yet we must also make sure the repaired line is safe, secure and built to last.”

Southeastern Managing Director David Statham said: “The loss of a large part of our railway has meant we’ve had to make changes to our services. These have been made so that everyone in the area has access to travel, but are temporary and are by no means perfect. We are adaptable to the changing nature of this work and will run our normal services as soon as we can.”

So far NR and Costain have placed more than 9,000 tonnes of rock armour on the beach. By the time this issue of RAIL goes to press some 18,000 tonnes of rock armour will have been placed. NR said it is working on a long-term solution for the damage.

The railway dates from the 1840s, and was originally built on a wooden viaduct that was encased in a concrete wall in 1927. The wooden structure was left in place and surrounded by chalk recovered from the demolition of a former tunnel at Archcliffe.