Check before you travel as engineering work restricts Brighton Main Line services on first Sunday in February

Train operators Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express are advising passengers travelling between London, Gatwick Airport and Sussex on Sunday 5 February to check online journey planners in advance, as vital engineering work by Network Rail will mean a long diversion for trains between London and Gatwick Airport, and a limited service between Brighton and the airport.

Journeys will take considerably longer than normal, so anyone planning to use the train to catch a flight from Gatwick should allow plenty of additional time.

There will be no through trains on the main line between London and Gatwick, and only two trains per hour between the airport and Brighton. Services towards London from Littlehampton and Eastbourne will terminate at Three Bridges.

People travelling between London and Gatwick are advised to use a special diverted service of two trains per hour between London Victoria and the airport that will run via Horsham. The journey will take around 80 minutes.

Passengers travelling between Brighton or the East Sussex coast and London are advised to travel via Three Bridges and use either the replacement bus service between Three Bridges and East Grinstead, to connect with trains to or from London, or the diverted but direct London train via Horsham.

Those using the Arun Valley line from Bognor Regis or Portsmouth should change at Horsham onto the diverted London service.

For those who have to travel on the main line between Gatwick and East Croydon,, a limited service will run between Gatwick Airport and Brighton, with replacement buses operating between Gatwick Airport and all stations to East Croydon. Passengers planning to use replacement buses are advised that because of a national shortage of bus drivers, they should check before they travel and may experience delays.

In addition, there will be no services between East Croydon and Tattenham Corner or Caterham. A replacement bus service will run between Purley and Tattenham Corner.

On the following Sunday, 12 February, the lines between Three Bridges and Brighton, and between Three Bridges and Lewes will be closed for separate engineering work.

[Please see Editors’ notes for detail of service changes and replacement buses.]

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Southern and Thameslink, said: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience to customers during Network Rail’s essential work to keep this busy route in good shape. While we’ve arranged alternatives for our customers to get where they need to be, several routes are affected and many journeys will take considerably longer than normal, so please check your routes and times on a journey planner, or the Southern or Thameslink website, well ahead of your journey.”

Network Rail Route Director for Sussex, Lucy McAuliffe, said: “The Brighton Main Line needs a lot of constant work to keeping it running reliably and on Sunday the 5th we’ll be taking all lines out of use between Redhill and Croydon to tackle a host of maintenance work, including track smoothing on a major junction near Coulsdon.

“We know it’s frustrating for passengers in the short term when we divert trains, but this is a rare chance for us to undertake major work on such a busy section of track and will help us run a more reliable railway in the long term. I really appreciate everyone’s patience and urge them to check before they travel.”

Ends

Editors’ notes

Passengers can see the alterations (also shown below) planned for Sunday 5 February at Southern and Thameslink’s websites here: Planned Changes to Train Times | Southern Railway

and here: Planned Changes to Train Times | Thameslink (thameslinkrailway.com)

and, for Sunday 12 February, here: Planned Changes to Train Times | Southern Railway

and here: Planned Changes to Train Times | Thameslink (thameslinkrailway.com)

and plan their journeys online at www.nationalrailenquiries.co.uk

Service alterations on Sunday 5 February

Engineering work is taking place between East Croydon and Redhill, resulting in the following changes:

Gatwick Express

No Gatwick Express services will run.

Southern

• No trains will run between East Croydon and Redhill.
• A direct service will run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport via Horsham, calling at Clapham Junction, Horsham and Three Bridges. Journeys between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport will take around 80 minutes instead of the usual 30-40

• A reduced number of trains will run between London Victoria and East Croydon, between Gatwick Airport and Brighton, and between Three Bridges and Horsham.
• Trains that usually run between Littlehampton and London, and between Eastbourne / Hastings / Ore and London, will start/terminate at Three Bridges.
• No direct trains will run between London Victoria and Reigate. Trains will run to an amended timetable between Reigate and Redhill.
• No trains will run between Purley and Tattenham Corner or Caterham

Rail replacement buses will run between:

• East Grinstead and Three Bridges
• East Croydon and Gatwick Airport
  
• Purley and Tattenham Corner

Passengers travelling between Purley and Caterham should use London Buses.

Passengers planning to use replacement buses are advised that because of a national shortage of bus drivers, they should check before they travel and may experience delays.

Thameslink

• No trains will run between East Croydon and Redhill. Therefore, there will be no through services from London to Gatwick Airport.
• A limited service will run between Brighton and Gatwick Airport, and a very limited service between Brighton and Redhill.
• Owing to additional engineering work in the Preston Park area very early on Sunday morning, before 07:00 Thameslink trains will not run between Brighton and Haywards Heath. Please use alternative Southern trains.

Service alterations on Sunday 12 February

Engineering work is taking place between Three Bridges and Brighton, and between Three Bridges and Lewes, resulting in the following changes:

Southern

• Buses will replace trains between Three Bridges and Brighton, and between Three Bridges and Lewes.
• An hourly train service will operate between London Victoria and Brighton via Three Bridges, Horsham and Littlehampton (calling additionally at Angmering, Worthing, Shoreham and Hove). Passengers travelling between Brighton and London should use this train service to avoid the need to use a bus for part of their journey.
• Trains between London Victoria and Three Bridges will run to a revised timetable.

Thameslink

• Bedford and Cambridge trains will start / terminate at Three Bridges.
• Rail replacement buses will run between Three Bridges and all stations to Brighton.
• If travelling between Brighton and London, use the diverted Southern train service which will run from Three Bridges via Horsham and Littlehampton.
• Additionally, services between Bedford / Cambridge / London Bridge and Three Bridges / Horsham will run to an amended timetable.