Network Rail Completes Major Upgrades in South London, Kent, and East Sussex to Enhance Rail Reliability | Rail Technology Magazine

After four years of preparation, a new signalling system has been implemented in the Tulse Hill, Peckham Rye, and Crystal Palace areas of south London. This upgrade aims to improve reliability for Southern, Thameslink, and London Overground passengers, replacing equipment that had been in use since the early 1980s. Engineers installed 23 km of new signalling, power supply, and telecoms cables, 61 new signals, and upgraded power supplies, while recycling the old system.

Specialists also replaced 40 steel ropes on the 1950s Kingsferry Bridge, which connects the Isle of Sheppey to the mainland. These ropes, last replaced in the 1990s, are crucial for lifting the bridge to allow commercial shipping access to docks along the Swale.

Near Hastings, engineers repaired brickwork and applied sprayed concrete along 1,282 meters of the 1851-built Ore tunnel to protect the railway infrastructure from water damage, enhancing reliability for Southern passengers on the Marshlink route between Hastings and Ashford.

On the Medway Valley line, a 200-metre sheet pile wall was constructed to prevent landslips from delaying Southeastern trains between Paddock Wood and Strood. Additionally, at East Farleigh station, the station buildings and signal box, dating back to 1844, were repainted and refurbished, preserving this heritage asset for the future.

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. Work in the Victorian era Ore tunnel will keep trains moving safely and reliably between Hastings and Ashford, while works to protect the railway from landslips will ensure safer and more reliable journeys for passengers using services between Paddock Wood and Strood.”

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, added: “It’s vital that we continue to invest to modernise our assets and give passengers the delay-free journeys they expect, and I want to thank our teams for the work they’ve carried out as well as passengers whose journeys were affected.

“Signalling upgrades between East Croydon and London Victoria in 2022 saw delays cut by more than half and we’ve delivered this latest phase of signalling upgrades in the Crystal Palace, Tulse Hill and Peckham Rye areas will improve reliability and help contribute to improving the performance of this important stretch of railway.”

Photo credit: Network Rail