Spa Valley Rail Appeal

The Tunbridge Wells heritage railway has begun running events to raise £300,000 to replace a corroded bridge.

The Spa Valley Railway says it must take action before the corrosion reaches a point where it can no longer run trains.

The first major fund raising event for a new bridge was an opportunity to walk along five miles of the line on Sunday 2nd February.

The "Stride the Line" event saw 175 walkers (pictured below) - many with dogs - raising more than £4,000.

Our reporter Brian Johnson went along for the early morning Sunday stroll and you can listen to his 4 minute report here.

Brian spoke to Spa Valley Railway’s General Manager, Jonnie Pay (pictured below).

Jonnie told Brian that if the line were forced to close it would have a significant impact on tourism and the local economy.

The line is a popular day out for families, taking passengers on steam and heritage diesel locomotives between Tunbridge Wells West, High Rocks, Groombridge and Eridge stations.

Brian also spoke to Spa Valley Railway Trustee, Chris Kilpatrick, and walkers at the Stride The Line event.

On Wednesday 5th February the railway said it had just hit £ 10,000 raised via the JustGiving page. Including offline donations and the Stride the Line event, the total donated so far to the bridge appeal was £ 23,000. 

The Spa Valley Railway said: "There is sill a long way to go to our total of £300,000 but we are fast closing in on the first milestone which is covering the cost of the design phase at £30,000."

The corroded bridge that must be replaced is the Broom Lane Bridge (shown below) which lies between High Rocks and Groombridge.

Spa Valley Railway says the corrosion is not unexpected from a bridge built in the 1890s.  The bridge has recently been tested and is still safe to carry trains, but a speed restriction has been imposed.

The railway says a repair was considered but expert opinion was that full scale replacement would cost a similar sum to a repair and would offer a longer term solution.

Its statement explains the full plan:

Phase 1, a certified replacement bridge design, will cost around £30,000; thanks to our savings, we have engaged a company specialising in bridge design, construction, and installation to start work immediately. We aim to have this completed in the first quarter of 2025.

Phase 2 involves constructing and painting a new bridge, estimated to cost around £70,000. We aim to start this as soon as the design is certified.

Finally, phase 3 involves removing the old bridge and installing the new one, estimated to cost upwards of £200,000.

A Statement from Spa Valley Railway continues: "We won’t be able to do it without your support, and we are appealing to anyone who could help ensure we can complete this enormous project and replace the bridge in 2025.

"We know a bridge isn’t glamorous, but without it, we might be unable to run trains over the entire length of our railway.

"We would be extremely grateful to anyone who can donate to our appeal or participate in our fundraising activities."

This link enables people to donate: