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Wednesday 25 Sep 2013

Brighton main line passengers advised of Christmas service changes as railway investment continues

Region & Route:

| Southern

Passengers who use the Brighton main line between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and the south coast are being advised of changes to train services over the Christmas and New Year period.

Between Christmas Eve and 1 January 2014 inclusive, three significant infrastructure upgrades will be carried out by Network Rail at London Victoria station, Gatwick Airport and a major junction between Redhill and Purley, all of which will have an impact on services operated by Southern, First Capital Connect and First Great Western on the main line and branch lines.

Passengers are advised that Gatwick Express services will not operate from 25 December to 1 January. On Boxing Day, Southern will run services between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport (via East Grinstead where buses continue to Gatwick), and from 27 December to 1 January, Southern will operate services between London Victoria and Gatwick. Normal Gatwick Express services will resume on 2 January.

First Capital Connect won't run trains between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport but its tickets will be valid on Southern services. London Victoria station will be closed on Boxing Day and reopen, with amended services until 1 January, on 27 December.

The amended services will allow work to be completed on the following three projects:

• A new platform and associated track and signalling work at Gatwick Airport which will provide greater flexibility for train services calling at the station from February 2014

• A major junction replacement between Redhill and Purley (Stoats Nest junction) which will remove the need for speed restrictions and increase the reliability of the infrastructure

• New signalling between London Victoria and Battersea will be completed, building on previous work carried out by Network Rail to upgrade the infrastructure and provide a more reliable service

Network Rail is working closely with all affected train operators and Gatwick Airport to plan for the work, minimise the impact it will have and advise train and airline passengers of the changes to normal services.

Tim Robinson, Network Rail’s route managing director for the Sussex route, said: “These are three significant infrastructure upgrades which have been carefully planned to take place at the same time to keep disruption to a minimum. The result will be a more reliable network and more flexibility for trains calling at Gatwick, which continues to attract more passengers travelling there by train.

“We have worked closely with the train companies and Gatwick Airport to plan for the work and will continue to raise awareness with passengers about the alternative travel arrangements which will be in place over Christmas and the New Year. All three upgrades are part of our commitment to invest in and improve the Brighton main line to provide a safe, reliable and efficient railway which meets the increasing demands of today’s passengers.”

Julia Gregory, head of surface transport at Gatwick Airport, said: “This essential work by Network Rail will help improve the Gatwick Airport station experience for the 14 million air passengers who use it every year and provide more capacity as the airport continues to grow. Anyone travelling through Gatwick over the festive season should check with their train operator for the latest information and advice.”

David Scorey, Southern's performance director, said: "This investment along our mainline to London will make it more reliable and help our trains run on time. We appreciate the service changes may make passenger’s journeys longer than normal over Christmas and New Year and we will be working with Network Rail, other operators and the airport to give our passengers advance notice so they are able to plan.”

A spokesman for First Capital Connect said: “Passengers must allow more time to complete their journey during this work. We won't have trains between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport, instead we have arranged for FCC tickets to be accepted on Southern services from East Croydon to East Grinstead from where there will be a frequent replacement bus link to the airport."

A spokesman for First Great Western said: “While we will continue to operate services between Reading and Redhill, unfortunately we will not be able to run direct services to Gatwick airport. An hourly bus replacement service will be available from Reigate Station, adding an extra 20 minutes to journey times. We recommend that passengers travelling to the airport change at Reigate and check journey times before they travel.”

Train services are altered every festive period and trains do not run on Christmas day. This year the impact on services using the Brighton main line will be longer as Network Rail continues to invest in and upgrade the Brighton main line, one of the busiest rail routes in the country.

Completing work at three locations simultaneously, at a traditionally quieter time for the railway, will help to keep disruption to one period of time rather than several different weekends, meaning fewer passengers will be affected.

Information and reminders will be shared over the coming months in stations, at Gatwick Airport, on websites and via twitter, to keep passengers informed of the work and the changes to services.

For the latest travel information and details, passengers should visit the following: National Rail, www.nationalrail.co.uk; Gatwick Express, www.gatwickexpress.com; Southern services, www.southernrailway.com/christmasservices; First Capital Connect, www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk; First Great Western, www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk; for details; Gatwick Airport, www.gatwickairport.com; Transport in London, www.tfl.gov.uk.