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Kent and East Sussex Railways to connect as ‘missing link’ is …

The [1] and Kent and East [2] Railway are to be connected, after the government approved the rebuilding of a ‘missing link’ five years after [3] submitted its application.

The Secretary of State for Transport has issued an Order under the Transport and Works Act which allows the Rother Valley Railway (RVR) to reinstate a section of railway track between Udiam and [4], linking to existing sections of track and completing the rail link between [5] and [6] Junction.

Pullman and cavell van enroute to Bodiam
Pullman and cavell van enroute to [7] // Credit: KESR

The Order gives RVR statutory authority to build the new railway and maintain the new and existing lengths of track as a heritage railway between Bodiam and Robertsbridge Junction.

At Bodiam, the new railway will join the existing heritage railway to [8]. It will cross the public highway at several level crossings.

The railway line between Robertsbridge and [9] was closed in 1961, and will now be restored by the completion of a missing section of line between Junction Road at Udiam and Northbridge Street in Robertsbridge.

The section of the line between Bodiam and Tenterden was reinstated in 2000 and is operated as a heritage railway and tourist attraction by Kent and East [10] Railway (KESR).

RVR argued that its plan would deliver significant benefits. It will provide a new connection to the mainline at Robertsbridge, which will open up a direct public transport link to the heritage railway.

This in turn would encourage visitors to use more sustainable means of transport to existing attractions such as the railway itself, Bodiam Castle and Tenterden. RVR estimates that the scheme will result in additional revenue on the national rail network of around £355,100 per annum.

The Inspector had supported the application but recommended modifications, which have been included in the Order.

The application for the Order was made on 19 April 2018, but over a thousand objections were registered, with only 224 letters of support. An Inquiry followed, which was conducted mostly online, but also with a one-day in-person session on 27 July 2021 at the Woodlands Enterprise Centre.

“The project gives us a huge opportunity to continue the development of our Railway as an attraction allowing visitors to experience a bygone age and as a hub for volunteering and the preservation of heritage artefacts and skills. It will also open up a new hinterland for us.

“There will of course be challenges ahead, some of them quite major ones. I am sure that we can overcome them. In the meantime, let’s savour the moment and look forward to the realisation of the dream of the early preservationists.”

References

  1. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  2. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  3. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  4. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  5. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  6. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  7. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  8. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  9. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  10. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)

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