Bats to benefit from railway reconstruction

Environmental surveys continue to progress as part of Rother Valley Railway restoration.

BATS are among the species which stand to gain from the reopening of the Rother Valley Railway (RVR).

Work on surveying bats began in August 2023. “We’ve carried out bat transect surveys once a month,” explained Giles Coe, RVR’s environmental expert.

“We’ve accompanied that with activity surveys for bats for which we’ve set out static monitors approximately every 500 metres along the route of the line. Those are left to record for five nights. We then investigate the data to see what bats are there and roughly what kind of abundance.”

Giles said that sections of the trackbed are currently covered by densely thatched secondary woodland. He added: “While some species are able to move through that quite easily, groups such as bats will find that extremely difficult. We anticipate that once that is opened up, the railway will provide a far more functional corridor for bats to move across the landscape.”

Surveys of dormice, another protected species, has also been underway. “We’ve been sample surveying all the suitable woody habitats along the route of the railway,” said Giles. “It involves us setting out little tubes every 15 metres in which the dormouse can nest in suitable vegetation. We check them each month through the year. The objective is to get the railway rebuilt but also causing as minimal harm as possible.”

Physical reconstruction of the two-mile long ‘missing link’ central section of the line – namely from Northbridge Street to Udiam, formerly the site of Junction Road Halt – could begin this year.

Mike Hart, trustee, said: “The in-depth ecological survey looking into the environmental impacts of the railway is currently underway. Depending on the section, some bits where there are lots of habitats will take 12 months to complete, while other sections of the railway could be complete earlier.

“We can’t put a shovel in the ground until the ecological survey is completed and approved by the appropriate government departments. All things being equal, physical work will hopefully begin by late spring or summer 2024.”

Meanwhile, the construction of the new engine shed at Robertsbridge has taken a further step forward. While the earthworks for the North Bank had been completed in October (RM December), a window appeared to get ahead of the next phase of this project, i.e. to lay crushed stone/concrete. This is a precursor to ballasting for track laying.

The entire top side of the Northbank is being prepared. Terram matting has already been laid, over which 30cm of crushed Kentish ragstone from the North Downs will be laid and levelled.