Wednesday 4 Jul 2018
Rail passengers urged to plan ahead this Sunday as engineering work takes place on London to Brighton line
- Region & Route:
- | Southern
With Britain’s heatwave set to continue into the weekend, passengers travelling on the Brighton Main Line this Sunday are urged to consider their travel plans as engineering work will mean no trains are able to run between Three Bridges and Brighton and Three Bridges and Lewes.
Trains will still run between London Victoria and Brighton, but will be diverted via Littlehampton, taking over two hours – twice the normal journey time.
A limited supply of buses will operate along the closed section of Brighton Main Line railway but a queuing system and longer journey times are expected, so passengers are strongly advised to consider alternative means of travel.
The work taking place on Sunday is an essential part of the £300m Government-funded programme to tackle delay hotspots and boost the reliability of the railway in the south east and lays the groundwork for a major programme of improvement work planned for the Brighton Main Line in autumn 2018 and early 2019.
John Halsall, Network Rail route managing director, said: “The Brighton Main Line is one of the busiest and most congested routes in the country, but the simple truth is it’s nowhere near as reliable as passengers need and expect it to be.
“We know there’s never a good time to close the railway, but the work we’re carrying out this Sunday is a vital step towards a much-needed upgrade of the 1980s signalling system that will deliver a more reliable railway for passengers.”
Nick Brown, Chief Operating Officer for Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express, said: “With fine weather forecast, we expect a lot of passengers will want to travel this Sunday but our message is seek alternative ways to get there if you can.
“We’re running as many trains and replacement buses as possible but they will be limited and we expect these to be very busy with queuing systems in place. If you’re heading to Brighton please use our diverted train services from London Victoria via Littlehampton but these will take considerably longer. Check National Rail Enquiries for revised times.”
Notes to Editors
The planned improvement works on the Brighton Main Line are a key part of a £300m government-funded programme to tackle delay hotspots and boost the reliability of the railway in the south east, including the expanded Thameslink network. Without this programme of activity, reliability on the Brighton Main Line will get worse over time and lead to even more delays. To receive updates on the Brighton Main Line Improvement Project or to find out more visit www.brightonmainline.co.uk.
Trains this Sunday will be amended as follows:
- Buses will replace trains all day between Three Bridges and Brighton and Three Bridges and Lewes
- Bedford / London Bridge and Brighton services will not run between Three Bridges and Brighton
- London Victoria to Brighton services will be diverted after Three Bridges, not calling at stations via Haywards Heath, but calling additionally at Horsham, Littlehampton, Angmering, Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Hove
- London Victoria to Hastings / Ore services will operate between London Victoria and Three Bridges
- London Victoria to Littlehampton (via Hove) services will operate between London Victoria and Three Bridges
- An additional train service will operate between Brighton and Hastings / Ore
Ticket acceptance: Passengers may use alternative Southern services via any reasonable route.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - South East route
020 3357 7969
southeastroutecomms@networkrail.co.uk
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