The Bexleyheath railway line has successfully reopened early this morning after Network Rail completed a week of heavy improvement works to prevent future landslides.

The main aim of the line closure was to remove 2,500 tonnes of mud and trees at Barnehurst and build steel beams protection walls following four landslides in the past ten years which have "plagued" the route.

But despite the bad weather, Network Rail decided to make the most of the closed line and carry out some much-needed maintenance work, renovating and repainting Barnehurst station, replacing the canopy at Welling and giving Falconwood station a major facelift.

The Bexleyheath line was closed during half term for nine days, shutting on Saturday, February 15, and following a successful operation it reopened at 3:10am this morning (February 24), with the first trains running soon after.

Also working through the night, Network Rail shared images of its teams bringing out some heavy machinery during the week.

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The aim of nine-day closure was to reduce the risk of landslips on the line and reduce the need for closures, part of £6.6m being invested to provide a safe, permanent solution.

The steep cutting bank at Barnehurst is prone to landslips during poor weather, engineers removed 2,500 tonnes or mud and trees from the bank to reduce the steepness of the cutting slopes.

They then brought in 8,000 tonnes of material such as gravel and concrete to build retaining walls made of steel beams along both sides, stretching 650 metres.

To accommodate for the closure of all stations on the Bexleyheath line, extra trains were added to the Woolwich and Sidcup lines, and rail replacement bus services were introduced.

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As pictured above, a number of important maintenance and infrastructure improvements were brought forward to make the most of the closure.

Canopy, platform and drainage improvements were completed at Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Welling, Falconwood, Eltham and Kidbrooke stations, signalling and power supply resilience work and the refurbishment of Perry Street Fork Junction near Crayford.

As well as vegetation management and drainage clearance, workers also spent time collecting litter dumped along the line.

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James Brokenshire and rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris also visited the project during the week, and despite wet and windy weather the work was completed in time for rush hour this Monday morning.