On Friday 17 April, the Rother Valley Railway (RVR) celebrated a major step forward in the long-term project to reconnect the Kent & East Sussex Railway with mainline rail services at Robertsbridge, with the official opening of the new station building and Network Rail headshunt at Robertsbridge Junction.
The day marked the completion of two key pieces of infrastructure as part of a multi-million-pound project that will restore the missing link to Bodiam and see services running all the way through to Tenterden for the first time in over 50 years.
The official station building opening ceremony was conducted in the presence of guests of honour rail minister Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill and former rail minister Huw Merriman, who both attended in a private capacity as longstanding supporters of the reconnection project. The ribbon was cut by the chairman of Rother District Council Councillor Andrew Mier.
Made available for the occasion with the kind permission of St Leonards Engineering with the support of GB Railfreight, the iconic Hastings Diesel unit carried invited guests, donors and members of the media along the line to Northbridge Street, offering a glimpse into the future of the reinstated route in operation and a chance to view the proposed site for the locomotive shed from the train.
Originally opened in 1901, the section of line ending at Robertsbridge served communities across the Rother Valley, including Tenterden, Rolvenden, Wittersham, Northiam and Bodiam. Its reinstatement will not only reconnect these stations to Tenterden but also to the national rail network via the mainline station at Robertsbridge, bringing both increased tourism and economic growth to the area.
The celebrations continued the next day, Saturday 18 April, when the site opened to the public for a community open day from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Visitors were able to enjoy train rides on the Hastings Diesel along the newly reinstated section of line between Robertsbridge Junction and Northbridge Street, giving them a flavour of what the extended line will offer.
One of the attendees at the open day was Marc Bourne, managing director of Heritage Decorating Ltd of Rye, which was responsible for part of the station restoration work, achieving a deep, flawless gloss finish on panelling, windows and doors. It is all about method, patience and attention to detail. At Heritage Decorating, every gloss finish starts long before the final coat goes on.
Marc said, “We were so proud to be part of the renovation journey for Rother Valley Railway and to be part of history, too, as the station can now be loved and used by future generations of train lovers.”
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Phil Edwards , Marc Bourne , Marc Bourne , RVR .