Rail engineers are about to start work on an essential £10m track upgrade at Dartford Junction, which will help to deliver better journeys by improving the reliability and performance of the busiest railway junction in Kent.

Essential track upgrades will improve the reliability of the junction and help to provide better journeys for customers travelling between Kent and London. A programme of station improvements will also be delivered at the same time to take advantage of the line closure.

From Saturday 14 February to Sunday 22 February, accessible buses will replace Southeastern and Thameslink services between Gravesend and Dartford towards Crayford, Barnehurst and Slade Green. Services will run as normal into London along the Sidcup, Bexleyheath and Woolwich routes.

Passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys, especially during peak hours when there could be queues for the replacement buses.

David Davidson, chief operating officer for the South Eastern Railway, said: “The work at Dartford Junction, where 650 trains pass every day, is a vital investment in the long-term resilience and efficiency of one of the busiest junctions of our network. We want to thank customers for their patience while we carry out this essential upgrade.

“We’ve deliberately chosen the half-term to minimise disruption as schools are on holiday and fewer people are commuting. We will be making the most of the time available when trains are not running to carry out station refurbishments, including installing tactile paving at Dartford station to improve accessibility and safety.

“We understand that this will be disruptive and we’re working hard to ensure passengers are fully informed about the closure so that they can make their alternative travel arrangements. By doing the work over the February half-term, we can fit everything we need to do into one nine-day closure. The alternative would be up to 30 weekends, which would be much more disruptive over a longer period.”

The upgrade includes the renewal of 10 switches and crossings, also known as points – the moveable sections of track that allow trains to change direction - and around 400 yards of new rail will be laid between Slade Green and Dartford.

To take advantage of the line closure, station improvements will be delivered at the same time. At Dartford, the station will be repainted and the stepping distance between platforms and trains will be reduced. The station’s lifts will receive maintenance to improve reliability. Work will also take place to improve the reliability of the track in the nearby sidings.

At Stone Crossing station, damaged fencing will be replaced, while at Greenhithe, the accessible toilet will be refurbished. Deep cleaning will take place at Swanscombe, and new LED lighting and additional customer information screens to aid journey planning will be installed at Northfleet. Repainting will take place at all of the stations closed for the duration of the work.

This work is part of the £300m investment that the South Eastern Railway is delivering across the network to improve performance and reliability.