The popular Spa Valley Railway in the heart of Tunbridge Wells needs your help to continue operating into the future as a major bridge on the line comes to the end of its life.

STRIDE THE LINE! Is the first fundraising initiative to help raise money for the Broom Lane Bridge Appeal.  Join in a 5-mile sponsored walk through the beautiful High Weald countryside on Sunday 2nd February and help raise money to replace Broom Lane Bridge!  The walk will discover parts of the Spa Valley Railway that are never open to the public between Tunbridge Wells West and Groombridge via Birchden Junction. 

Meet at 8:30am at Tunbridge Wells West station, setting off at 9:30am for Birchden Junction before turning around at the Junction to return to Groombridge. Once everyone has completed the walk, a special train will return walkers to the starting point.

Tea, coffee, and snacks will be available at each end of the line.

To support this event visit https://spvr.link/stridetheline

General Manager at the Railway, Jonnie Pay said: “We must replace the old steel Broom Lane Bridge between High Rocks and Groombridge.  To achieve this, we need help to raise £300,000 and have recently launched the ‘Broom Lane Bridge Appeal’ to raise the funds required to complete this project.

“Broom Lane Bridge, built in the 1890s, has corrosion on the primary girder flanges, particularly on the web flange angles, which is not unexpected due to its age, but it presents a problem.

“To ensure we can continue taking our passengers along the Spa Valley Railway, the bridge is regularly inspected, a speed restriction has been imposed, it is subject to an enhanced monitoring regime, and it has recently undergone load testing to demonstrate its continued availability for rail traffic.

“However, we must do something before the corrosion reaches a point where we cannot operate trains.

“We were presented with two options: repair the corroding metal work on the bridge or replace it with a brand-new one. After carefully considering the possibilities, it became clear that replacing the bridge was the most cost-effective solution, at around £300,000.

“While repairing the affected areas is possible, it would only temporarily extend the bridge’s life and potentially cost the same, if not more, than constructing a new one.

“We won’t be able to do it without financial 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 including the Stride the Line event on 2 February 2025.”

There will be three phases to the replacement of Broom Lane Bridge:

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.

To donate to the Broom Lane Bridge appeal and keep the Spa Valley Railways’ trains running for future generations to enjoy please donate via https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/spvr-broomlane

About Spa Valley Railway

The Spa Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in the United Kingdom that runs from Tunbridge Wells West railway station in Royal Tunbridge Wells to High Rocks, Groombridge, and Eridge, where it links with the Oxted Line.

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