Passengers using the line are advised to plan ahead and leave more time to complete their journeys between Saturday 11 to Saturday 18 February - half term week - while engineers carry out £3 million upgrades to stabilise several cuttings and embankments.
Work will involve removing thousands of tonnes of earth from sections of cuttings to reduce the steepness of the slopes leading down to the track, and installing rock netting to prevent rocks and earth from falling onto trains.
Cuttings are where the tracks are cut deep into hillsides, and embankments were conversely built to carry the tracks across valleys – reducing the gradients trains have to face on their journeys. The line opened in 1860 when civil engineers knew much less about how steep to make their slopes and what materials to build embankments from.
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Preparatory works will take place in early 2023 where buses will replace trains between Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January.
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail's Kent route director, said: "We'd like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out this essential work to prevent future landslips.
"The change in weather patterns means that we’re experiencing drier summers and much wetter winters, and this has a huge impact on a railway that was largely designed and built in the Victorian era when the understanding of construction materials and geology were less advanced than today.
"We constantly monitor embankments and cuttings to keep passengers safe, cautioning trains when sensors detect any movement, however, this has an impact on the punctuality of services.
"The work we are planning over February half-term provides a long-term solution to the risk of landslips on this section of track and allow trains to run at full speed and will also improve the reliability."
A 30-metre reinforced concrete wall will also be installed at the bottom of the cutting at Selling Tunnel – one of the most at-risk sites for landslips, which will help protect and keep the railway safe.
Sections of collapsed drainage will be completely rebuilt to stop flooding damage the track and signalling equipment which will minimise delays.
