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Friday 12 Aug 2022

People travelling in Horsham are being advised to plan ahead as Network Rail closes Parsonage Road level crossing to pedestrians and motorists for 10 days as part of £8m investment

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Sussex

Both Parsonage Road and Littlehaven level crossings will be closed to improve reliability of the railway for passengers and make level crossings safer for motorists and people travelling by foot. 

People travelling through Horsham are being advised to plan ahead and leave more time for their journeys as Network Rail closes Parsonage Road level crossing to cars and pedestrians for ten-days between Friday 19 and Tuesday 30 August and Littlehaven level crossing for three-days from the 19 August.

Network Rail will be running a minibus service during the work to help pedestrians get from one side of the crossing to the other, with full details below. 

Parsonage Road level crossing will be upgraded from a half barrier to a full barrier with additional CCTV, making it safer for pedestrians, as well as deter people from misusing level crossings.    

The work will also mean that both crossings located on Rusper Road will be controlled from the state-of-the-art Three Bridges Signalling Centre which will improve the overall safety as the old, life expired equipment that is prone to failure and needs more maintenance, will be upgraded to make it more efficient with a 25-year life span. 

Katie Frost, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “Upgrading and modernising level crossings is vital to running a safe and reliable railway for passengers and crossing users. 

“Unfortunately, the work we had to do to upgrade crossings means we need to close Parsonage Road level crossing for 10-days and Littlehaven for three-days at the same time. While we have carefully planned diversionary routes, this will mean longer journeys for motorists and people travelling on foot. 

“We’re sorry for the disruption this may cause to residents and rail passengers, and we ask people needing to travel to please plan ahead whether travelling by car or rail replacement bus service.”

Alongside the level crossing upgrades, work to replace one kilometre of track at Faygate, will take place over two weekends, Saturday 20 to Monday 22 August and Saturday 27 to Monday 29 August. This means that no trains can run via Horsham and bus replacement services will be put in place.

Travel advice:

Parsonage Road level crossing: 

Friday 19 (11pm) until Monday 29 August (6am), no vehicles can pass at the level crossing. Motorists will be diverted via Hurst Road, Station Road and Harwood Road during this time. 

No pedestrians can pass at the level crossing. At this stage, two minibuses will be provided (one either side of the crossing) along with pedestrian marshals.  

Monday 22 (4.30am) until Tuesday 30 August (6am), motorists will be diverted via North Heath Lane and Littlehaven level crossing. 

Littlehaven level crossing: 

Friday 19 (11pm) until Monday 22 August (6am), no vehicles can pass at the level crossing. Motorists will be diverted via Hurst Road, Station Road and Harwood Road during this time. 

Friday 19 (11pm) until Sunday 21 August (2am), pedestrians can cross at the level crossing under pedestrian marshals. 

Sunday 21 (2am) until Monday 22 August 6am), no pedestrians can pass at the level crossing. At this stage, two minibuses will be provided (one either side of the crossing) along with pedestrian marshals.