Commuters face rail line closure

A replacement bus service takes 20 minutes from Folkestone to Dover

Commuters in Kent are facing months of disruption while a railway line between two major towns is closed for repairs.

The line between Folkestone Central and Dover Priory closed on Saturday but, after the bank holiday, Tuesday is the first day of disruption for commuters.

The line will be closed until 4 September while three tunnels between the two coastal towns undergo repairs.

A replacement bus service is being laid on by South Eastern Trains, taking 20 minutes between the two stations.

They will run every 15 minutes at peak times.

The work will see the Martello, Shakespeare and Abbotscliffe tunnels - all about 160 years old - being waterproofed and the line will also have its track renewed.

A two-mile railway tunnel near Strood in Kent was closed for 12 months until January following chalk falls in the tunnel, with commuters on that line facing an additional 30 minutes on their journeys for an entire year.