Works completed on 1950s bridge after closure

Train services are running again after two large projects in Kent which closed lines over the half-term holiday.

Works to replace 40 steel ropes on the 1950s Kingsferry Bridge linking the Isle of Sheppey with the mainland were completed.

On the Medway Valley line, a 200m (656ft) sheet pile wall was built to stop landslips delaying trains on the route between Paddock Wood and Strood.

A Network Rail spokesperson thanked passengers for their patience during the works.

In Sussex, works were also carried out on the Ore tunnel, meaning a two-week closure of the line between Hastings and Rye, also affecting services to Ashford International station.

David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent route director, said: "Our teams were extremely busy across Kent and East Sussex over the October half-term with three major projects successfully completed.

"The work will keep the Kingsferry Bridge open for rail passengers, motorists and vital commercial shipping."

The steel ropes, which lift the bridge to allow access to docks along the Swale, were last replaced in the 1990s.

After a series of closures in July, this was the final closure of the bridge for works.

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