Media centre

Friday 15 Dec 2006

MAJOR INVESTMENT IN LONDON TO BRIGHTON LINE

Region & Route:

| Southern

Passengers travelling to Gatwick between the 26 and 29 December are being reminded to plan their journeys carefully. Network Rail is investing £3 million in essential upgrade work at Earlswood in Surrey during the Christmas period, which will secure the future of the line and provide a more reliable service and smoother and quieter journeys for passengers. The work will affect rail travel to and from Gatwick Airport. Trains running to Gatwick will be replaced in part by buses from the early hours of Boxing Day until 04.00am on 29 December 2006. The work includes: signal renewal; the renewal and improvement of around 1km of track; and the replacement of Earlswood junction (a key point on a busy section of railway which links London to Brighton and the Sussex Coast via Gatwick Airport). Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “This investment will deliver significant long-term benefits for passengers travelling between London and Brighton. We have been careful to plan the work when far fewer people are travelling, minimising disruption for passengers. We appreciate that some people will be inconvenienced, but we hope that people will understand how important it is to secure the future of this busy route. We will be publicising information about the works as widely and as early as possible so that passengers travelling over the Christmas period can plan their journeys in advance with the best possible information to hand.” Network Rail has been working with all relevant train operators, the Highways Agency and BAA (owner of Gatwick Airport) to ensure passengers can complete their journeys as easily as possible whilst the work takes place. Figures show that during the Christmas week last year the number of passengers using the Brighton Line was under a third of the weekly average for the period between January and March 2006. Train services do not normally run on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day no services run except the Gatwick Express and a Southern service from London to East Croydon. Peter Cotton, managing director of Gatwick Express, said: “We recognise that passengers will benefit from this investment. That is why we have liaised with Network Rail extensively on this project. Our main aim is to do all we can to ensure that passengers can travel to and from Gatwick as easily as possible whilst this essential work is carried out. We would urge anyone wishing to travel on the Gatwick Express between the 26 and 29 December to plan their journey, and consult the Gatwick Express website.” BAA Gatwick’s managing director, Paul Griffiths, said, “Our airlines and other key stakeholders have been briefed and throughout the period of works extra staff will be on hand at the airport to assist passengers and to give directions to the bus replacement services in operation. There will also be clear signage for inbound passengers for when they arrive at Gatwick. We would like to thank users of the line for their co-operation and patience.” Southern operations director Andy Byford said: "We've been working with Network Rail to plan a service during this engineering work that ensures passengers can still travel between the coast and London via Gatwick, including a diverted train service that avoids the worksite, and buses in some areas. Journeys will take longer but we will be assisting passengers in getting to their destinations as smoothly as possible during the work." "First Capital Connect is working in partnership with BAA, Gatwick Express and Southern, as well as Network Rail to ensure that our customers are offered good onward travel solutions and are inconvenienced as little as possible," said Elaine Holt, managing director of First Capital Connect. While the work is being carried out, Network Rail will be employing extra staff at Gatwick station to offer passengers assistance and clear guidance and information. The company has also been working closely with train operating companies and BAA to plan the smooth running of alternative transport arrangements and transit through Gatwick Airport. Plans will take into account that passengers will be travelling with luggage and many may have travelled long distances before using the service. Network Rail will be displaying information at stations along the Brighton Main Line and at Gatwick Airport to ensure passengers have as much advance notice of the works as possible. In conjunction with BAA, clear signs will be put in place at the airport and at all relevant stations in the build up to, and over, the Christmas period.