Track was replaced inside Sevenoaks tunnel over the bank holiday weekend as part of vital upgrades to give passengers a more reliable railway.

Network Rail South East took advantage of the long weekend – when the railway is 50% quieter than usual – to undertake essential maintenance and enhancements as part of a £10m programme of work to improve the routes connecting Kent and Sussex with the capital.

Over the past year, engineers have completed urgent repairs to stem leaks and improve drainage in the Victorian tunnel, which was built in the late 1800s, and, at two miles, is one of the longest in Britain, before beginning work to replace the track.

Engineers laid another half a mile of track over the bank holiday and are on course to complete the work by mid-October, having now laid more than two miles of new track.

Other works across the weekend included upgrades on the approach to London Victoria, while a High Output Ballast Cleaner was working between Shortlands and Swanley to help prevent speed restrictions that would result from bumpy or uneven track.

John Halsall, Network Rail south east’s managing director, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to complete work on 11 major projects and routine maintenance at dozens of other sites with no overrunning engineering works, which meant the lines were ready for the Tuesday morning rush hour.

"I’d like to thank passengers for their understanding and patience while we completed this work, which will make their journeys more reliable in the long run.

“The railway here is the busiest in Britain. Not only does it allow hundreds of thousands of people to travel to work and home every day, it helps drive the region’s economy.

“It’s therefore vital that we maintain and improve the railway to keep people and goods moving in the south east.

"Doing that work on bank holidays when the railway is quieter means we’re able to keep disruption to a minimum.”