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Notes to Editors

• Majority funded by the Department for Transport as part of a wider £300 million programme, the project will tackle delay hotspots and boost reliability on one of the busiest and most unreliable parts of the network.
• The £67 million work on this stretch of railway is renewing and upgrading track junctions and signalling, shoring up embankments to reduce the risk of landslides and introducing new technology that not only detects potential problems before they occur, but can help the railway recover faster if there is a fault.
• There is also extensive work within four Victorian tunnels – Balcombe, Clayton, Patcham and Haywards Heath – which includes track, signalling and drainage work to improve reliability and reduce delays for passengers in the future.
• Elsewhere, track was renewed, sets of points, which enable trains to switch between tracks, were replaced and fencing installed to deter trespassers.
• Before this 9-day closure, this team of engineers has completed work over 10 weekends, handing back on time, every time. During these works, they delivered track renewals, high-output ballast cleaning and conductor rail renewals, signalling and track renewal preparation works and infrastructure renewals.
• To prepare for this closure, Network Rail’s operations and maintenance teams have been out in force for several months to check and enhance the reliability of the diversionary routes via Littlehampton and the Arun Valley, which were vital for passengers to continue travelling during this work.
• The Network Rail helicopter has supported this work and has continued inspecting the railway during the closure, using high-tech thermal and visual imaging equipment to identity faults, particularly in the electrical system, quickly.
• Without this programme of work, reliability on the Brighton Main Line would deteriorate in the months and years ahead, leading to more delays for passengers travelling between London and the south coast.

On-track engineering work carried out during the 9-day closure:

• Balcombe Tunnel Junction: Renewed and upgraded this junction, replacing 600 metres of track, improving the layout to increase resilience and replacing switches and crossings.
• Signalling between Haywards Heath and Preston Park: Renewed and upgraded the signalling control and power system, which was last renewed in 1982. The new system and equipment will be more robust and any issues that do arise will be able to be identified and rectified more quickly, reducing both the incidents of service disruption and the time it takes to fix them.
• Drainage works in Balcombe Tunnel: The Victorian brick culvert drainage system in one of the South East’s longest railway tunnels had a build-up of silt and other debris, along with damage to brickwork. This compromised the drainage system and led to flooding, which in turn caused signalling and power supply problems. Drainage work was also carried out at Haywards Heath tunnel.
• Clayton Tunnel: Inspected the tunnel, patch-repaired brickwork and secured 1,400 metres of cable.
• Ouse Valley Viaduct: refurbished the drainage (the conductor rail was renewed and the parapet repaired during previous weekend closures). The viaduct was built in 1848 and as a critical part of the main line it needs to be kept in top condition.
• Folly Hill: Replaced thousands of metres of conductor rail, which the trains draw power from.

Off-track station improvements included:

• Balcombe: Installed a brand new footbridge to replace the 1970s-built Exmouth footbridge. We also repaired and repainted the ticket office on platform 1, the waiting room on platform 2, repainted white and yellow lines, cleared vegetation, deep-cleaned the station and installed new fencing to prevent trespass.
• Haywards Heath: Repaired, upgraded and cleaned the station, replacing timbers on platform islands, repainting yellow and white lines on platforms and deep-cleaning the entire station.
• Wivelsfield: Improved platforms, including replacing the coping stones at the edge of the platforms where passengers board trains and strengthening platform supports. Also carried out general repairs to the station stairways, repainting and deep-cleaning.
• Plumpton: Refurbished the heritage station footbridge, prepared the nearby racecourse footbridge for repainting, repainted platform line markings and carried out a deep-clean of the station.
• Cooksbridge: Refurbished the station footbridge, replacing the stair treads, and deep-cleaned the station.
• Hassocks: Repaired fencing, repainted platform line markings and deep-cleaned the station.
• Preston Park: Deep-cleaned the station, replaced defective points equipment, replaced the subway handrail, installed new fencing along the platform and repainted lines on platforms.

The rail replacement bus and coach service featured:

• Over 530 drivers
• 9 core routes
• 45 bus and coach suppliers from around the country 
• Over 240 buses and coaches in circulation every day
• 50 bus controllers
• Over 300 additional customer assistance staff
• Fitters, spares and recovery vehicles on site at Three Bridges