Rochester railway station will be closed during one of the busiest weekends of the year for the town.

There will be no trains to Rochester for the whole of the Dickensian Christmas festival on December 3 and 4 due to signalling works.

Visitors arriving by rail will instead have to go to Strood and walk across the bridge. Passengers travelling from London will either have to go to Strood direct or, if travelling on the Victoria line, get a replacement bus service from Meopham.

Those travelling from the Kent coast face an even longer journey. They will have to get a train to Rainham and then on a replacement bus through the Medway Tunnel to Strood station and walk from there.

It is the second time the festival has been hit by rail disruption. Last year the old station was closed, with replacement bus services running instead. Traffic in Rochester came to a standstill with some visitors reporting being stuck at Strood for two or three hours.

The signalling work is the final stage of a major rail improvement project in the area. The new £26 million Rochester station opened in mid-December last year. It was moved 500m up the track from the old one which means visitors can usually step straight off the train into the heart of the historic town.

Network Rail’s head of signalling in the South East, Huw Edwards, said: “The people of Medway have been very patient with all the work we have been doing through here this year, and we’re almost there now.

“Southeastern’s new timetable this winter will ramp up the use of our new facilities, including the new tracks we’ve put in at Rochester and the loop that opened there in October. The work we’re doing over December 3 and 4 will make that possible by boosting our system up to its full capability and I appreciate people bearing with us while we do it.”

Southeastern’s director of train services Richard Dean said: “The work that Network Rail is doing is enormously important for the railway. It is crucial to the future of the infrastructure which is used by hundreds of thousands of passengers daily and growing.

“Rochester has seen a new station built, Strood is soon to get a new one, and hundreds of millions of pounds is being invested in improving signalling and track in the area.

“This does mean that passengers using Rochester station have had to put up with a great deal of engineering work and this will continue during Dickensian Christmas on December 3 and 4.

“We would urge all passengers to please check before they travel.”

A Medway Council spokesperson said: “Whilst it is unfortunate that railway works are taking place during the Dickensian Christmas Festival, we understand Network Rail and Southeastern are working to ensure those making the journey to Rochester are aware of the temporary changes to the service and arranging replacement buses where necessary, to make the journey as smooth as possible for passengers.

“Dickensian Christmas is one of the high points in Medway’s events calendar, attracting both local people and visitors from further afield. We hope those who enjoy the festival year after year will join us again, and we look forward to welcoming those who plan to come along for the first time.”