Oak Lane in Sevenoaks shuts from 26 October, the M26 and M20 close on three nights and Greenwood Way stays shut. Kent's 22 October notice, every order linked.

Kent County Council’s notice published on 22 October makes the four closures it had only intended for the last week of October. Oak Lane in Sevenoaks shuts outside Jesters for up to three days from Monday 26 October, the same day as Hever Lane at Hever; the B2027 at Chiddingstone Causeway follows for up to four nights from 30 October, and Pilgrims Way at Kemsing on 31 October and 1 November. On the motorways, National Highways’ rolling report now reaches Wednesday 28 October: the M26 eastbound from junction 2A to the M20, the M20 westbound from junction 3 to junction 1 and the M25 clockwise from junction 2 to junction 3 all shut on the nights of 26, 27 and 28 October. In the town, Greenwood Way stays shut for up to 50 days from 12 October and the Riverhead gas main order is running on four roads off the A224. Bethel Road has its turn from 2 November.

Below are the Sevenoaks roadworks and closures for the half-term week from Monday 26 October, what is booked beyond that, and every notice linked so you can check it yourself.

The quick answer

Greenwood Way in Sevenoaks is closed from number 3 to the end of the cul-de-sac for up to 50 days from Monday 12 October, and the Riverhead gas main works are under way on Shoreham Lane, Brittains Lane, Lyndhurst Drive and Braeside Avenue. Knockholt Road at Halstead is closed outside Jasmine Cottages for up to 16 days from 17 October, so to about 1 November. Kent’s 22 October notice has now made the orders for Oak Lane in Sevenoaks (up to three days from 26 October, via Gracious Lane and the A225 Tonbridge Road), Hever Lane at Hever (up to five days from 26 October), the B2027 at Chiddingstone Causeway (up to four nights from 30 October, 20:00 to 05:00) and Pilgrims Way at Kemsing (31 October and 1 November). On the motorways, the M26 eastbound from junction 2A to junction 3, the M20 westbound from junction 3 to junction 1 and the M25 clockwise from junction 2 to junction 3 shut on the nights of 26, 27 and 28 October, and the M25 clockwise exit slip at junction 6 on 26 October. Coming up: Bethel Road from 2 November, and Hodsoll Street and Lullingstone Lane from 9 November. Station Road in Edenbridge stays closed southbound to 5 November at the latest. On the railway, Cannon Street is shut all day on Sunday 25 October, and the Hastings line south of Tonbridge is on buses from 24 October to 1 November.

Checked on 22 October 2026 against the National Highways closure report covering 22 to 28 October, Kent County Council’s list of Sevenoaks traffic notices (read 22 October), the Kent County Council Sevenoaks notices published on 22 October (dated 23 October), 15 October (dated 16 October), 8 October (dated 9 October) and 1 October (dated 2 October), the earlier Sevenoaks notices dated 4, 11 and 25 September, National Highways’ made order for Swanley Interchange published on 7 October, the Kent rights of way notices published on 21 September and 1 and 8 October, the A282 order published on 1 October, Southeastern’s per-date engineering notices as read for our trains page on 15 October, and Southeastern’s disruption page as read on 8 October.

Kent’s 22 October notice: Oak Lane and the Causeway are made, two November closures added

The notice published on 22 October, dated 23 October, turns all four intentions from the 8 October notice into made orders, with the dates, hours and diversions unchanged, and adds two new intentions for 9 November.

Kent County Council's Sevenoaks orders in the notice published on 22 October 2026
RoadWhyWhenStatus
Oak Lane, SevenoaksSouth East Water; closed outside JestersUp to 3 days from 26 OctoberMade
Hever Lane, HeverNew electricity supply; closed outside Little Buckhurst BarnUp to 5 days from 26 OctoberMade
B2027 Tonbridge Road, Chiddingstone CausewayResurfacing; closed from Camp Hill to Compasses RoadUp to 4 nights from 30 October, 20:00 to 05:00Made
Pilgrims Way, KemsingDamaged telecom cover; closed 10m east of Cotmans Ash Lane31 October, 08:00 to 16:00, and 1 November, 09:00 to 13:00Made
Hodsoll Street, Hodsoll StreetNew electricity supply; closed at the junction with the A227 Gravesend RoadUp to 17 days from 9 NovemberIntended
Lullingstone Lane, EynsfordOpenreach; closed between Eagle Heights and the Roman Villa1 day from 9 November, 09:30 to 15:30Intended

Oak Lane is the one in town, and the timing matters for Riverhead: it is the signed diversion for the Brittains Lane section of the gas main works, so if the gas crews are on that stretch in half-term week, Brittains Lane traffic loses its way round. Oak Lane’s own diversion is via Gracious Lane and the A225 Tonbridge Road. Hever Lane traffic goes round via Chippens Lane, Uckfield Lane, Cowden Pound Road and the B2026 Stick Hill.

Of the two new ones, Hodsoll Street is the long job: up to 17 days from 9 November, closed where it meets the A227, with traffic sent via the A227 Wrotham Road, Chapmans Hill and Rosemary Lane. Lullingstone Lane at Eynsford has no diversion, because the lane is the only way in; the notice says access will be given when it is safe, so check before driving out to the Roman Villa or Eagle Heights that day.

Kent’s 15 October notice: the 19 October closures are made, Bethel Road from 2 November

The notice published on 15 October, dated 16 October, turns all eight of the intentions Kent advertised on 2 October into made orders, with the dates, hours and diversions unchanged. The B2027 at Bough Beech, Hever Road at Edenbridge, School Lane at Seal and The Green at Westerham can all close from Monday 19 October, Highlands Hill at Swanley on 21 October, the A25 at Sundridge from 22 October and the B2188 at Penshurst on 23 October, and the A225 at Eynsford drops to 30mph from 19 October to about 20 November. The detail is in the 2 October table further down.

It also adds nine new intentions, all for the first week or so of November. The one in town is Bethel Road, closed outside number 47 for up to three days from 2 November for a new electricity supply, with its one-way rule suspended. Northbound traffic is sent via Holly Bush Lane, Bayham Road and Quakers Hall Lane, and southbound via Quakers Hall Lane, the A225 St Johns Hill, Holly Bush Lane and Cedar Terrace Road.

Kent County Council's new Sevenoaks intentions in the notice published on 15 October 2026
RoadWhyWhenStatus
Bethel Road, SevenoaksNew electricity supply; closed outside number 47, one-way suspendedUp to 3 days from 2 NovemberIntended
London Road, West KingsdownPrivate vehicle crossing; westbound cycle lane suspended outside Second Bungalow 6AUp to 3 days from 2 NovemberIntended
Pilgrims Way, KemsingUK Power Networks; closed outside number 931 day from 2 NovemberIntended
Ridge Way, EdenbridgeUrgent gas service alteration; closed outside number 73Up to 5 days from 2 NovemberIntended
Chafford Lane, FordcombeTelegraph pole replacement; closed between Bradley Road and 2 Chafford CottagesUp to 2 days from 3 November, 08:00 to 16:00Intended
Firmingers Road, OrpingtonTree cutting clear of power lines; closed from outside Rosedene for about 400m south1 day from 3 November, 08:00 to 18:00Intended
Ovenden Road, SundridgeTelegraph pole replacement; closed by Chevening RoadUp to 2 days from 3 NovemberIntended
St Georges Road, SwanleyNetwork Rail; closed 20m either side of the railway bridge1 night from 3 November, 22:00 to 06:00Intended
Station Road, CowdenNetwork Rail; closed 20m either side of the railway bridge1 night from 8 November, 01:05 to 04:00Intended

Kemsing gets another closure on Pilgrims Way: outside number 93 for a day from 2 November, for UK Power Networks, diverted via Childsbridge Lane, West End and The Landway. That is a different job from the telecom cover repair on 31 October and 1 November in the 8 October notice. St Georges Road at Swanley has no diversion at all; the notice says access will be given when it is safe. Ridge Way at Edenbridge is sent round via Crown Road, Swan Lane and Swan Ridge.

The four intentions in the 8 October notice (Hever Lane, Oak Lane, the B2027 at Chiddingstone Causeway and the Pilgrims Way telecom repair) were all made in the 22 October notice above.

Kent’s 8 October notice: Greenwood Way and Riverhead are confirmed

The notice published on 8 October is still the one that matters most for the town. Seven of the closures Kent advertised as intentions on 25 September are now made, and the four it added for the last week of October were made on 22 October.

Greenwood Way, Sevenoaks, is closed from number 3 to the end of the cul-de-sac for up to 50 days from 12 October while the road is rebuilt to full depth. There is no alternative route, because there is nowhere else to go; the order says access will be given when it is safe. Fifty days from 12 October runs to the end of November.

Four roads off the A224 at Riverhead come under the gas main replacement order from 12 October for up to 18 months: Shoreham Lane closed at its junction with Amherst Hill, Brittains Lane from Amherst Hill to Lyndhurst Drive, Lyndhurst Drive from the junction to outside 2 Brittains Lane, and Braeside Avenue at its junction with London Road. Eighteen months is the legal ceiling for the whole programme, not the length of each closure; gas main work of this kind moves along a street in sections, with the dates on signs on site. Shoreham Lane traffic goes round via the A25 and Amherst Hill, Brittains Lane via Oak Lane and the A225 High Street, and Braeside Avenue via Brittains Lane.

That last diversion is worth reading twice. Oak Lane, the way round for Brittains Lane, is one of the closures now made: shut outside Jesters for up to three days from 26 October for South East Water, with traffic sent via Gracious Lane and the A225 Tonbridge Road. If the gas works are on the Brittains Lane section that week, both routes out of that corner of Riverhead are affected at once.

Kent County Council's Sevenoaks orders in the notice published on 8 October 2026
RoadWhyWhenStatus
Greenwood Way, SevenoaksFull depth reconstruction; closed from number 3 to the end of the cul-de-sacUp to 50 days from 12 OctoberMade
Shoreham Lane, Brittains Lane, Lyndhurst Drive and Braeside Avenue, RiverheadGas main replacementUp to 18 months from 12 OctoberMade
How Green Lane, HeverUK Power Networks; closed outside The CottageUp to 5 days from 12 OctoberMade
Bitchet Green Road, SealDrainage cleansing; closed between The Coppice and Rooks Hill and Blakes Green Road1 day from 13 OctoberMade
B2173 London Road, SwanleyResurfacing and road markings; closed between Salisbury Avenue and number 42Up to 3 nights from 13 October, 20:00 to 05:00Made
Knockholt Road, HalsteadThames Water; closed outside Jasmine CottagesUp to 16 days from 17 OctoberMade
Pilgrims Way West, Dunton GreenNew customer connection; closed between Ivy House Lane and Twitton Lane1 day from 18 October, 09:30 to 15:30Made
Hever Lane, HeverNew electricity supply; closed outside Little Buckhurst BarnUp to 5 days from 26 OctoberMade on 22 October
Oak Lane, SevenoaksSouth East Water; closed outside JestersUp to 3 days from 26 OctoberMade on 22 October
B2027 Tonbridge Road, Chiddingstone CausewayResurfacing; closed from Camp Hill to Compasses RoadUp to 4 nights from 30 October, 20:00 to 05:00Made on 22 October
Pilgrims Way, KemsingDamaged telecom cover; closed 10m east of Cotmans Ash Lane31 October and 1 November: Saturday 08:00 to 16:00, Sunday 09:00 to 13:00Made on 22 October

The rest of the made orders are short. How Green Lane at Hever is shut for up to five days from 12 October, diverted via Hever Road and the B2027. Bitchet Green Road at Seal had its one day from 13 October, and the B2173 London Road at Swanley had its up to three nights from 13 October, 20:00 to 05:00, with Manse Way blocked and residents let in through Manse Parade. Knockholt Road at Halstead is the longest, up to 16 days from 17 October for Thames Water, and Pilgrims Way West at Dunton Green had its day on 18 October.

Of the four added on 8 October, the B2027 at Chiddingstone Causeway is the one with a real detour: four nights from 30 October, 20:00 to 05:00, between Camp Hill and Compasses Road, with cars sent round through Leigh, Hildenborough and Coppings Road, and lorries escorted through the site.

Two Openreach jobs advertised as intentions on 20 August, Stones Cross Road at Crockenhill and Washneys Road at Orpington, are still missing from the made record, so treat them as unscheduled rather than cancelled.

The 2 October orders: all made, from 19 October

The notice dated 2 October carried five made orders and eight intended ones. Of the made five, the short jobs at Lime Tree Walk, Rye Lane in Otford and Cackets Lane in Knockholt have had their dates, and so has the Yorks Hill event closure at Ide Hill on 12 October. Crowhurst Lane at West Kingsdown, closed between Forge Lane and Billet Hill for UK Power Networks, was the longest: up to 13 days from 7 October, so to about 19 October, with the diversion via Fawkham Green Road, Brands Hatch Road, Fawkham Road and the A20.

The 15 October notice has now made all eight intentions, which nearly all start from 19 October. The one most drivers will notice is the A25 Main Road at Sundridge, closed between Church Road and New Road for up to two nights from 22 October, 20:00 to 05:00, for full width resurfacing. The signed diversion does not stay in the district: it goes back through Brasted and Westerham, up the A233 over Westerham Hill and Leaves Green, along the A21 at Farnborough and down the A224 over Polhill to rejoin the A25 at Riverhead. For anyone just crossing from Brasted to Sevenoaks late at night, that is a long loop for a short gap.

The B2027 at Bough Beech, Chequers Hill, closes for 20 metres either side of the railway bridge for up to three nights from 19 October, 22:00 to 05:00, for brickwork repairs. Its published diversion is longer still, running via Cowden, the A264 near Ashurst, Penshurst, Weald, Sevenoaks and Westerham before coming back down Kent Hatch Road.

Kent County Council's Sevenoaks orders in the notice dated 2 October 2026, made on 15 October
RoadWhyWhenStatus
Crowhurst Lane, West KingsdownUK Power Networks; closed between Forge Lane and Billet HillUp to 13 days from 7 OctoberMade
B2027 Chequers Hill, Bough BeechBrickwork repairs; closed 20m either side of the railway bridgeUp to 3 nights from 19 October, 22:00 to 05:00Made
Hever Road, EdenbridgeSGN gas works; closed between Burnt Oak Farm and Warsop Trading EstateUp to 4 days from 19 OctoberMade
School Lane, SealSouth East Water; closed outside 1 School Cottages, one-way suspendedUp to 2 nights from 19 October, 19:00 to 06:00Made
The Green, WesterhamNew water connection; closed outside number 13, one-way suspendedUp to 5 days from 19 OctoberMade
A225 Shoreham Road, EynsfordHighway improvements; 30mph in place of 60mph between the railway bridge and the footpath gate19 October to about 20 NovemberMade
Highlands Hill, SwanleyBT pole test; closed outside Tudor House1 day from 21 October, 09:30 to 15:30Made
A25 Main Road, SundridgeFull width resurfacing; closed between Church Road and New RoadUp to 2 nights from 22 October, 20:00 to 05:00Made
B2188 New Road, PenshurstDrainage cleansing; closed from Saints Hill to Smarts Hill1 day from 23 October, 09:30 to 15:30Made

The other orders are short. Hever Road at Edenbridge shuts for up to four days from 19 October for SGN, diverted via Uckfield Lane, Cowden Pound Road and the B2026. School Lane at Seal closes overnight for two nights from 19 October, with its one-way rule suspended so residents can get in, and The Green at Westerham for up to five days from the same date, with traffic sent round by the A25 Vicarage Hill. Highlands Hill at Swanley goes for a day on 21 October, and the B2188 at Penshurst on 23 October, with a diversion that runs through Tunbridge Wells.

The motorways: M26, M20 and M25 nights from 26 October

National Highways’ closure report, read on 22 October, runs to Wednesday 28 October and books three night closures around the district for each of the first three nights of half-term week.

  • Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, 22:00 to 05:30: the M26 eastbound between junction 2A and junction 3 shuts for resurfacing, with the diversion over local roads. That is the stretch from the A20 at Wrotham Heath to where the M26 joins the M20, so late traffic heading east from the M25 at Sevenoaks towards Maidstone is sent off the motorway.
  • Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, 22:00 to 05:30: the M20 westbound between junction 3 and junction 1 shuts again for the same joint investigation works that closed it last week, so traffic coming up the M20 towards the M25 at Swanley is diverted.
  • Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, 22:00 to 05:30: the M25 clockwise between junction 2 and junction 3 shuts for cabling works, part of a scheme running from the QEII Bridge to junction 3. That is the Dartford to Swanley stretch, so clockwise traffic towards Sevenoaks leaves at junction 2.
  • Monday 26 October, 22:00 to 05:30: the M25 clockwise exit slip at junction 6, Godstone, closes again for safety fence repairs.

This week’s report still has the M20 westbound from junction 3 to junction 1 on Friday 23 October, 23:00 to 05:30, with the M20 eastbound at junction 1 closed between its slips the same night, and the M25 clockwise slips at Clacket Lane shut from 23:00. Read on 22 October it no longer lists Thursday night for the M20 closure or the M25 anticlockwise work at junction 2, both of which earlier reports had booked for 22 October. Nothing at junction 4 or junction 5 of the M25 is in the report up to 28 October.

Further south on the A21, the Quarry Hill northbound entry slip at Tonbridge closes on 23 October and the Pembury Walks northbound slips on 26 and 27 October, all from 20:00.

Swanley Interchange gets its 40mph limit. National Highways has made the order it advertised on 23 September, published on 7 October with every term unchanged: a 24-hour 40mph limit on every approach to the roundabout where the M25 meets the M20 at junction 3 and the A20, on the link roads between them, the whole circulating carriageway, and the B2173 from where its 30mph ends. It is for signalling work, comes into force on 17 October and can start no earlier than 00:01 on 19 October, for a maximum of 18 months (reference NH/SE/2026/A20/80). The signs on site, not the order, will show where each limit starts and stops.

Dartford: the seven-month order is now made

National Highways has made the order it advertised on 17 September for the A282 between junction 2 and junction 30, the stretch that carries the Dartford Crossing. The notice of the made order, published on 1 October, keeps every term of the intended one.

It authorises closing both carriageways of the A282 and all the slip and link roads off them, running contraflows either side of the crossing, a 4.8 metre height restriction whenever the west tunnel bore is shut and a 50mph limit over the whole length. The work is bridge and tunnel works, electrical works, surveys and inspections, expected to last about seven months from on or after Wednesday 7 October, with closures of up to 20:30 to 06:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 20:00 to 10:00 on Friday and Saturday nights, and possibly “for an extended period over the weekend”. The order came into force on 5 October and runs for up to 18 months (reference NH/SE/2026/A282/70).

The new closure report keeps the pattern going. The northbound West Tunnel and the junction 1A northbound entry slip close from 21:00 on every night from Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, reopening at 05:30. Over the weekend the East Tunnel closes on Saturday 24 October, 21:00 to 09:00, and Sunday 25 October, 22:30 to 05:00, so nothing over 4.8 metres can cross northbound those nights, and the QEII Bridge southbound (the M25 clockwise) is shut on Saturday 24 October from 21:30 until 09:00 on Sunday. On Thursday 22 October the M25 anticlockwise exit slip at junction 30 closes as well, for gantry works.

Edenbridge: the 54 day closure has under three weeks to run

The order to plan around is still in force. Because of a storm water connection, Kent County Council made an order closing Station Road southbound between the B2026 Station Road and Station Approach, and closing Station Road outright between Minstrels Close and the WI Hall, from 12 September 2026 for up to 54 days. The right and left turn from the B2026 into Station Road is banned for the same period, and the cycle lane between the B2026 and Minstrels Close is suspended.

Fifty-four days from 12 September runs to 5 November, so it has under three weeks left and it covers the whole of the autumn half term. The made notice is still where it falls down: the paragraph headed “The alternative routes are via:” is empty. A statutory order that bans a turn, suspends a cycle lane and closes a street for eight weeks has been advertised without naming a single diversion road.

The diversion does exist, though, and it is worth having. The earlier notice of intention for the same closure, published on 20 August, carries the line the made order dropped: the alternative routes are via B2026 Mont St Aignan Way and High Street. That is the route the signs on site should be following. Orders of this kind also allow the work to finish early, so 54 days is the outside limit rather than a fixed end date.

Ten Sevenoaks lanes are now inside the surface dressing orders

The resurfacing programme reached its start date on Monday 21 September. Kent County Council intended to make two orders covering ten roads in the Sevenoaks district: one dropping traffic to 40mph on the approach and 20mph through each working site, the other allowing each road to be closed outright while the work is done. Both take effect on or after 21 September 2026 and run for up to 18 months, with the actual dates published in advance and signs on site 14 days before each site starts. That was the date the orders could begin, not the date the cones arrive, and none of the notices dated 25 September, 2 October, 9 October and 16 October programmes any of the ten.

The Sevenoaks roads on the schedule are Redhill Road at New Ash Green, Ash Road at Ash, Bore Place Road at Chiddingstone, Franks Lane at Horton Kirby, Butterwell Hill at Cowden, Pilgrims Way at Westerham and Brasted, Penshurst Road at Leigh, Mill Lane at Chiddingstone, Heaverham Road at Kemsing, and Pilgrims Way at Kemsing. Four of them, Ash Road, Penshurst Road, Mill Lane and Heaverham Road, are limited to 09:30 to 15:00, so they should be clear either side of the school run.

There is a problem buried in the schedule, and it is at Kemsing. The published diversion for the Pilgrims Way closure runs via Cotmans Ash Lane, which was closed until 18 October. Cotmans Ash Lane’s own diversion, in turn, ran via Pilgrims Way and Heaverham Road, and both of those are on this surface dressing list. None of the three was programmed before 18 October, so the signed routes never pointed at each other; any overrun on Cotmans Ash Lane would bring that back.

Kent’s 8 October notice adds one more Kemsing closure to the same knot: Pilgrims Way, 10 metres east of Cotmans Ash Lane, for a damaged telecom cover on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November (08:00 to 16:00 on the Saturday, 09:00 to 13:00 on the Sunday). Its signed diversion runs via Cotmans Ash Lane. That works only if Cotmans Ash Lane has reopened as planned; no notice extending its closure has been published.

On foot: the Chiddingstone bridleway order is now made, with six months on it

Kent County Council has made the order closing Public Bridleway SR440 at Chiddingstone, between Wellers Town Road and Watstock Farm. The notice, dated 18 September and published on 21 September, confirms the closure from 19 September and gives the figure the earlier notice of intention did not: the path may stay shut for a maximum of six months, even though the council expects it to reopen on 26 October.

That gap matters if you plan walks ahead. The road works it belongs to, the SES Water job that closed Wellers Town Road for five days from 14 September, are already over. The bridleway is the part that runs on, and the legal backstop is 19 March 2027 rather than late October. Riders and walkers heading for Chiddingstone Hoath should treat 26 October as the council’s hope, not a commitment.

In town, Kent has now made the order for Public Footpath SU11, the link between Bradbourne Vale Road and Lambarde Road: it closes from 5 October for up to six months, according to the rights of way notice published on 1 October. The signed alternative is the long way round on the roads themselves, Bradbourne Vale Road and Lambarde Road, which means a walk on the A25 rather than off it.

Further out, Kent intends to close Footpaths SD235 and SD237 at Ash-cum-Ridley, between Bazes Shaw and Lambardes, from 09:00 on Saturday 7 November to 09:00 on Sunday 8 November for the New Ash Green Guy Fawkes Night, according to the rights of way notice published on 8 October. The alternative is by road, via Church Road, Ash Road and North Ash Road.

Cotmans Ash Lane, Kemsing: order ran to Sunday 18 October

Cotmans Ash Lane at Kemsing closed on Monday 24 August for around 680 metres of new water main, between Clarkes Green Road and Ashdown Bungalow, under an order that ran to 18 October. No notice extending it appears in Kent’s list up to and including the notice published on 22 October, so the lane should be open again; if you find it shut, the signed route was Clarkes Green Lane, Birchin Cross Road, Row Dow, Pilgrims Way, Childsbridge Lane, West End, High Street and Heaverham Road.

A25 Bessels Green: still clear

The A25 Westerham Road closure at Bessels Green, which took out westbound traffic over the A21 on weekends through May, June and August, remains finished. The order Kent County Council made ran until 31 August 2026 or until the work was complete, according to the statutory notice for the closures, and nothing published since has extended it, up to and including the notice published on 22 October. The A25 over the A21 is normal in both directions, and a return would need a fresh order and a fresh notice.

Trains: Cannon Street shut on 25 October, Hastings line on buses for half term

Southeastern’s per-date notices, read for our trains page on 15 October, leave the Sevenoaks lines alone on the weeknights of 19 to 22 October.

On Sunday 25 October Cannon Street is shut all day, and buses replace Thameslink between London Bridge and Swanley, with a revised Swanley to Sevenoaks service.

Further out, the Hastings line closes between Tonbridge and Wadhurst for nine days over October half term, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, while the slab track in Grove Hill Tunnel is renewed. Sevenoaks keeps its London trains; Tunbridge Wells and the rest of the line are on buses from Tonbridge. Our report on the nine-day closure has the detail, and Sevenoaks trains to London has every affected date to 20 December, the times, fastest routes and the last train home.

Sevenoaks station: no step-free access to London until 1 December

The lift replacement at Sevenoaks still has 1 December on it. Southeastern’s service disruption page lists the lifts between the footbridge and platforms 1 and 2 as out of order from 09:59 on 1 July 2026 until 23:59 on 1 December 2026, and that entry was unchanged when we checked it again on 8 October.

The advice attached to it matters if you cannot use stairs. Southeastern states plainly that there is no step-free access at Sevenoaks for any service heading towards London, and that the nearest step-free alternative for London-bound services is Hildenborough, one stop south towards Tonbridge. Thameslink services to central London are still step-free from Sevenoaks, so the slower route up through Otford and Catford remains open to wheelchair users, buggies and anyone who cannot manage the footbridge stairs. If you need assistance, book it with Southeastern in advance rather than turning up. We cover the wider programme in Sevenoaks station’s lift replacement.

What it means for you

The practical takeaways for half-term week from 26 October and beyond:

  • Greenwood Way in Sevenoaks is shut for up to 50 days from 12 October, and the Riverhead gas main works are running on Shoreham Lane, Brittains Lane, Lyndhurst Drive and Braeside Avenue. Both orders are made.
  • Oak Lane in Sevenoaks shuts outside Jesters for up to three days from 26 October, made on 22 October. It is the diversion for Brittains Lane, so Riverhead may lose both at once.
  • Also made on 22 October: Hever Lane for up to five days from 26 October, the B2027 at Chiddingstone Causeway for four nights from 30 October, and Pilgrims Way at Kemsing on 31 October and 1 November.
  • Knockholt Road at Halstead is shut for up to 16 days from 17 October, and the A225 at Eynsford is 30mph to about 20 November.
  • The M26 eastbound from junction 2A to the M20, the M20 westbound from junction 3 to junction 1 and the M25 clockwise from junction 2 to junction 3 all shut from 22:00 to 05:30 on 26, 27 and 28 October.
  • Swanley Interchange is under a 24-hour 40mph limit from 19 October at the earliest, for up to 18 months.
  • Next in town: Bethel Road for up to three days from 2 November. Hodsoll Street (17 days) and Lullingstone Lane (one day) are intended from 9 November.
  • The Dartford Crossing is on its seven months of night closures: the northbound West Tunnel shuts from 21:00 on weeknights, the East Tunnel on 24 and 25 October (nothing over 4.8 metres), and the QEII Bridge overnight on 24 October.
  • Station Road in Edenbridge is shut southbound to 5 November at the latest.
  • Cannon Street is shut all day on Sunday 25 October, and the Hastings line south of Tonbridge is on buses from 24 October to 1 November. There is no step-free access at Sevenoaks for London-bound Southeastern trains until 1 December; Hildenborough is the nearest alternative, and Thameslink from Sevenoaks is still step-free.

Sources