No trains between Tonbridge and Wadhurst for nine days while Grove Hill Tunnel's track is renewed. Buses, other routes, and less parking at the station.

No trains will run between Tonbridge and Wadhurst from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, over the October half term. Tunbridge Wells and High Brooms are both inside the closure. Rail replacement buses will run instead.

The main job is in Grove Hill Tunnel, just south of Tunbridge Wells. Network Rail engineers will replace worn slab track, which is track fixed to a concrete base, and restore key railway systems in the tunnel. (Southeastern Media Centre, 8 September 2026)

The dates

Hastings line closures affecting Tunbridge Wells, autumn 2026 Three dates. On Sunday 27 September, Hastings line trains from Charing Cross run only as far as Sevenoaks, with buses between Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood and Wadhurst. From Saturday 24 October to Saturday 31 October, no trains run between Tonbridge and Wadhurst. On Sunday 1 November, the closure extends from Tonbridge to Battle. Three dates with no trains at Tunbridge Wells Source: Southeastern Media Centre, 8 September 2026. Sunday 27 September Trains from Charing Cross terminate at Sevenoaks. Buses Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood, Wadhurst Saturday 24 October to Saturday 31 October No trains between Tonbridge and Wadhurst. Buses replace them Sunday 1 November Closure extends further south: buses between Tonbridge and Battle Graphic by T Wells Today
The nine-day half-term closure, and the Sunday closure a month before it.
  • Saturday 24 October to Saturday 31 October: no trains between Tonbridge and Wadhurst. Buses run between the two.
  • Sunday 1 November: the work extends further south, so buses run between Tonbridge and Battle.
  • Trains north of Tonbridge are unaffected. Services from Tonbridge to Charing Cross, Redhill, Ramsgate and Dover Priory run as normal throughout.

Southeastern says bus journeys will take longer than the train.

Less parking at Tunbridge Wells station

Part of the car park at Tunbridge Wells station will be used for construction work on the tunnel, so there will be fewer spaces throughout the programme. The same applies at Frant. Southeastern has not said how many spaces will go.

The station car parks are small to begin with. Between them they hold 78 cars, as set out on our Tunbridge Wells trains to London page.

Southeastern also expects Tonbridge station car park to be very busy, as people drive there to pick up the trains that are still running. It advises arriving early.

Other ways to travel

Southeastern says tickets will be accepted:

  • from Hastings and Ore to Ashford International
  • on Highspeed trains between Ashford International and London St Pancras

Passengers from Frant, Wadhurst and Stonegate can also use Southern’s route from Uckfield. Southeastern warns that it is a low-frequency service during the half term, so check the journey planner before relying on it.

What else is being done while the line is shut

Southeastern says teams will use the nine days for work along the whole route:

  • Wadhurst Tunnel: maintenance and detailed checks of the tunnel, portals and shafts
  • near Stonegate: inspections of earthworks, drainage and track
  • Etchingham: new power equipment, a repaired station canopy, and checks of nearby bridges and drainage
  • Robertsbridge and Mountfield: worn track parts replaced, Mountfield Tunnel inspected, and surveys for future upgrades

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s director of safety and performance, said combining the jobs means “making the most of the time the railway is closed and reducing the need for future disruption”.

Before that: Sunday 27 September

There is a separate closure on Sunday 27 September, for engineering work at Tonbridge. Hastings line trains from Charing Cross will only run as far as Sevenoaks. Replacement buses will run between Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood and Wadhurst, with extra trains between Wadhurst and Hastings.

Southern’s trains between Edenbridge and Tonbridge will also be replaced by buses that day.

What it means for you

  • Plan half-term trips now. From 24 October to 1 November, a train journey from Tunbridge Wells starts with a bus to Tonbridge.
  • Leave more time. Southeastern says the buses take longer than the train.
  • Expect the station car park to be tighter at Tunbridge Wells, and busy at Tonbridge.
  • If you need assistance, book it as usual. Southeastern says assisted travel bookings carry on in the normal way.
  • Sunday 27 September is disrupted too, so check before any trip to London that day.
  • Paddock Wood keeps its trains. Southeastern says services from Tonbridge towards Ramsgate and Dover run as normal, and they pass through Paddock Wood.

We keep the week’s road and rail disruption on our Tunbridge Wells roadworks and travel page. Southeastern’s December timetable change, which follows the closure, is in our story on the new express.

Sources: Southeastern Media Centre, “Hastings line passengers advised to plan ahead this October school half term as buses replace trains for nine days”, published 8 September 2026 and read 15 September 2026, for the closure dates, the Grove Hill Tunnel work, the car park, ticket acceptance, the other route work, the 27 September closure and the quote; Southeastern planned engineering work; T Wells Today, Tunbridge Wells trains to London, for the station car park capacity.