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| Hastings to Ashford International closure – important update regarding travel this Sunday, 27 October |
| Good afternoon, I’m writing with an update on the closure of the railway line between Hastings and Rye / Ashford International that is currently underway and continues until Sunday 3 November. While this closure is taking place buses are replacing trains at all times between Hastings and Rye. On the section between Rye and Ashford International, a combination of a special shuttle train service or replacement buses are operating, depending on the day and time. Since the update I sent out last week, there has been a slight change to the plans for this coming Sunday, 27 October. Regrettably, the shuttle train service that had been planned to run that day between Rye and Ashford International between approximately 07:30 and 18:30 will now not operate. Replacement buses will run on this section all day instead. To explain, the location and operation of the train shuttle has involved a lot of technical aspects that we would not normally face during our engineering works and our normal operations. We have worked hard with colleagues from Network Rail and other train operators to ensure that the train shuttle could operate every day during this closure, when Network Rail were not undertaking work on the section. Unfortunately however, certain logistical issues – that despite our best efforts we have not been able to overcome – means it is now not possible to run this service on Sunday. We have updated the information on our website and app to alert people to the change. Journey planners such as nationalrail.co.uk are expected to be updated by tomorrow (Friday). In the meantime we have arranged for bulletins to be added to relevant journey results for Sunday to make it clear the train shuttle is not available. We are very sorry for the short notice change and any inconvenience it may cause to customers. If you have any questions please let us know. Best wishes,Ben Ben Thomas Special Project Communications Manager Govia Thameslink Railway |