Railway to begin 'most ambitious' project yet

Joshua AskewSouth East
Spa Valley Railway Broom Lane Bridge pictured in high summer with the trees in full foliage, the lower girder painted yellow and the upper girder painted green.Spa Valley Railway
Broom Lane Bridge (pictured) has been affected by corrosion

A heritage railway has announced it is about to start the "most ambitious and expensive" infrastructure project it has ever carried out.

The Spa Valley Railway, running from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, to Eridge, in East Sussex, said it will begin work to replace the Broom Lane Bridge on Monday.

It added it has raised more than £100,000 from the public to fix the "critical" piece of infrastructure, which has been affected by corrosion.

But Spa Valley Railway said it expects costs to hit around £500,000.

A spokesperson for the railway said "we will be paying for it for many years to come".

Train services are due to restart on Good Friday (3 April), it continued.

"We are determined to ensure the railway remains alive and well and have been working extremely hard since late 2024 on this enormous project," the spokesperson added.

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