Trains between Dover and Folkestone will resume by the autumn, according to Network Rail.

Almost £40 million has been spent to rebuild and repair the line following the partial collapse of the sea wall severed the track around Christmas.

Engineers have been working around the clock to build a new 235 metre-long viaduct, supported by 134 concrete columns.

Network Rail’s area director Paul Rutter said it was too soon to give a firm date just yet but an autumn reopening would be much sooner than the December date originally predicted.

“We are much further ahead than we had expected and have seen the overall cost of the project decrease,” Mr Rutter commented.

Network Rail’s senior programme manager Steve Kilby added that a project of this size would normally take two years to design and build.

"We are very proud of everyone’s commitment to get this line open as soon as possible," he said.

Work was temporarily disrupted in June after rocks hurled by youths from a nearby cliff missed site workers by inches as they worked to repair the railway.