Ashford - Hastings 9 week blockade.
 

The Ashford to Hastings line is closed for twelve weeks as of 09/01/2012 due to repairs being carried out at Ore tunnell. The chance this has given Network Rail to electrify the route has been ignored so for the forseeable future we have an isolated 26mile diesel line in a massive electric area, we could have had long distance services to Rye from London and lots of other locations, our fleet of class 170s could have been relocated to other parts of England to replace pacers, but all that has been missed.

Well there's only so much money in the pot.

Does anyone know if the line figures in the Route Utilisation Strategy document for the south ? That would be where these decisions are made.

It isn't up to NR to decide this...it's the DfT which chooses who gets what.