Relieved commuters this morning are able to use trains between Dover and Folkestone for the first time in nine months.

The line re-opens today for the first time since it closed for repairs after massive storm damage on Christmas Eve.

Until today passengers had endured prolonged journeys by having to use rail replacement buses between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central stations.

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Thousands of people had been affected and some had their journey times increased by an hour or more, although they were compensated.

In the first week it had been hoped that the line would re-open in February.

But damage with sinkholes was worst than first thought, so hopes of an early reopening were dashed.

In April Network Rail announced that the line would remain closed until mid-December, for a full 12 months, but the £39.8 million rebuilding project was finished early.

VIDEO: The line between Dover and Folkestone is now open.

A new viaduct needed to be built before trains could run again, replacing the one constructed in the 1800s.

The new reopening date had been announced just two weeks ago when Richard Dean, Southeastern’s train services director, said: “We would like to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while this massive project was undertaken.

“When the sea wall was damaged and the railway severed it meant we were unable to run all of our services, including a full high speed service.”

Parts of the railway between Dover and Folkestone had been completely destroyed on Christmas Eve.

The sea wall was damaged, with huge cracks, and it had started to lose its foundations.

The railway line was severed.

By Boxing Day Network Rail engineers were on-site and worked around the clock to get the repairs done.

They completed in nine months a task that would usually take two years with margins of error allowed for severe weather disrupting the repairs schedule.