Network Rail to close Ashford route for nine days in May 2026

Network Rail will close the line between Ashford International, Maidstone East and Borough Green & Wrotham from Saturday 23 May to Sunday 31 May 2026. Accessible buses will replace trains for nine days while engineers carry out essential upgrade work.

Ashford International and Maidstone East

David Davidson, chief operating officer for the South Eastern Railway, said the route is an extremely busy part of the railway. He said the rock cuttings on the Ashford to Maidstone East line are more than 150 years old and that weather and ground movement related incidents are causing delays to customers.

Davidson also said the work needs to be done over the nine-day closure rather than during a series of disruptive weekends. Engineers will inspect bridges at several locations between Bearsted and Ashford, maintain over four miles of track, and examine earthworks, tunnels and cuttings along the route.

Borough Green & Wrotham station

The closure also includes replacing the level crossing at Ryarsh Lane near West Malling. Network Rail said rail engineers will work on more than 53 separate projects during the closure as part of the programme to improve the long term reliability of the line.

Accessible rail replacement buses will run throughout the route between Ashford International, Maidstone East and Borough Green during the closure. Southeastern said car park season ticket holders on the affected line can park at any other station with their current ticket at no extra cost for the whole nine days, while Borough Green & Wrotham station car park is expected to be very busy.

At Maidstone East, car park A will be used as a site compound to support the work, and some parking spaces there will be unavailable before and during the closure. Davidson said he wants to fix the line quickly and thanked passengers for their patience while the improvements are carried out.