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After investing £1.25bn to improve the railway in Kent and South East London between 2019 and 2024 our work to modernise the network for passengers continues with a planned £1.35 billion investment over the next five years.
The funding will tackle historic under-investment in the Kent network, replacing ageing equipment with new and more reliable technology to support improving train performance and keeping people moving for decades to come.
Key statistics
£310 million on track and junctions
£309 million on signalling work
£133 million on earthworks
£44 million on drainage improvements
£167 million on electrical and power supply improvements
£213 million replacing or refurbishing our structures
£128 million on buildings
Upgrade work
As part of our record South East Upgrade we’re investing over £310m to replace more than 60km of track and equipment at 60 key junctions across the route. An additional £44m will be invested to upgrade drainage systems to maintain track quality.
Why is this work needed?
Good track quality is essential to running a safe and reliable railway. When track becomes worn or the track bed falls away (wet beds), speed restrictions are put place to ensure trains run safely, but this can lead to delays for passengers.
When equipment at railway junctions, points, switches and crossings, comes to the end of its operational life, more and more maintenance is needed to prevent faults and delays.
Poor track quality also affects cables and other electrical equipment causing faults and delays.
Over the next five years we’re investing more than £309m to replace and improve signalling systems in Kent and South East London to give passengers better journeys with fewer delays.
Why is this work needed?
Signalling is a crucial part of the railway infrastructure, allowing trains to move safely around the network.
To protect passengers, our signalling systems are designed to fail to a safe, so faulty components can often result in signals remaining at red, causing delays.
We’re investing more £128m to improve stations and buildings for passengers and our staff.
Many of the stations and railway buildings on the route date from the Victorian area need continuous maintenance to keep them up to the standard passengers expect. Investment is also to modernise stations to accommodate recovering passenger numbers and provide the facilities people travelling today expect.
The railway in Kent and South East London is made up of hundreds of overbridges, underbridges, footbridges and tunnels.
We’re investing £213 million to replace or refurbish structures on the route, including underbridges, overbridges, footbridges and tunnels.
Why is this work needed?
Many of our structures were built or installed in the Victorian era and either need replaced or strengthened to meet the demands of the railway today. Some structures do not meet modern standards meaning that trains running over them are subject to speed restrictions. While this is a precautionary measure, it does mean that trains can’t run at full line speed and services can be delayed.
More than half of the country’s rail network sits on embankments or in cuttings built in the Victorian era. We’re investing more than £133 million to strengthen embankments and cuttings on the route.
Why is this work needed?
Understanding of ground engineering in the Victorian, when much of the rail network was built, was basic and the methods used to construct earthworks wouldn’t be used today.
In addition, the wetter winters and dryer, hotter summers we are now experiencing, combined with the fact that most of our cutting and embankments are at least 150 years old, means that delays due to failing embankments and cuttings are on the increase.
Keeping you on the move
Record investment means that we’ll be doing more work to improve the
railway than ever before. We’ll do most of the work when trains are not
running, but will need to work at weekends and on bank holidays.
If you are planning to travel at the weekend or on a bank holiday, please don’t get caught out. Always check before you travel at National Rail enquiries or with your train operator, Southeastern or Thameslink.
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Contact us
For more information or to get in touch with us, please contact us by visiting our contact us page or by calling our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.
