40 Kent stations will not have services until Wednesday afternoon due to rail strikes

Parts of the railway line in Kent will be closed until Wednesday afternoon due to ongoing staffing issues caused by strikes.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are set to walkout on Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday June 25 over pay and working conditions.

However, the strikes will still have an impact on rail services on non-strike days.

Though many of the stations affected are smaller and more rural, such as Martin Mill near Deal, some larger stations such as Ramsgate and Canterbury East and West, which are on the high speed route to London Victoria, will also be affected.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "The area is supplied with power by a local electrical control office that we know will have some unique staffing issues on Wednesday, due to the rail strike.

"Safety checks on the power supply to trains, called continuity tests, will have to be done from the morning.

"This is to make sure all electrical supplies are operating correctly before trains run.

"Not doing these checks could lead to trains becoming stranded with no power on a hot day, which would be an unacceptable risk.

"We are working with Southeastern to reintroduce trains on a line-by-line basis, working round east Kent.

"This will take around seven hours and we urge passengers to check before they travel on the day.

"We’re really sorry for this extra complication and we must emphasise it means some lines will not have trains on Wednesday until well into the afternoon. Please do check before you travel on the day."

These are the rail lines and train stations affected:

• The Sheerness line affecting all stations between Newington and Sheerness-on-Sea

• The Medway line affecting all stations between Newington and Faversham

• All stations between Westenhanger and Ramsgate

• All stations between Faversham and Ramsgate

• All stations between Wye and Minster

• All stations between Kearsney and Selling