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Friday 24 Mar 2023

Sussex: Rail passengers urged to plan ahead this Easter weekend as Network Rail undertakes key track upgrades on the lines into London Victoria

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Sussex

Passengers are reminded to plan ahead and check their journeys as vital upgrades are completed on the railway in Network Rail’s Sussex route this Easter.

From Friday 7 to Monday 10 April, Network Rail engineers will be working tirelessly to renew outdated switches and crossings (the moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another and allow them to cross paths) at Streatham to improve safety and reliability.

As a result of this work no trains will run between East Croydon and London Victoria. Most Southern services will be diverted to London Bridge, and Gatwick Express will not run. Gatwick Express customers should use Thameslink or other Southern services between London and Gatwick Airport.

Tickets will be accepted on London Underground services between Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham Junction stations, and on replacement buses running between Clapham Junction and East Croydon. Other Southern services in south London, and between the capital and Sussex, will run to amended timetables: details are available on the Southern website.

Further work is planned towards the end of April on the weekends of 22-23 April and 29-30 April which will also affect services.

This work is part of the wider London Victoria signalling upgrade programme which is a major four-year package of upgrades to modernise 1980s track and signalling in south London and into London Victoria. This multi-phase programme of work is progressing well and the work to be completed over Easter will conclude the third phase of upgrades, between London Victoria to Clapham Junction and Balham, completing a £160m investment into this area of railway.

Once the overall programme of work has been completed, the installation of new, modern equipment will mean fewer faults and fewer delays for passengers travelling on lines into and out of Victoria, and this new equipment will be easier to maintain, fix and find faults when something does go wrong.

In the meantime, passengers are reminded to expect some changes to services when the next phases of work are being completed and to continue to plan ahead and check the latest travel information with their train operators.

Lucy McAuliffe Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these important upgrades over the Easter period. There is never a good time to close the railway but we have chosen to complete this work over the Easter weekend when passenger numbers are generally lower to help minimise disruption.

“The upgrades we’re making as part of the London Victoria signalling programme are vital in modernising the dated track and signalling into London Victoria and the railway in south London. More reliable equipment that is less likely to break and is easier to fix will mean passengers will benefit from fewer delays and more reliable journeys.

“I encourage any passengers that are intending to travel by train over Easter to please plan ahead and check their journeys with their train operator.”

Jenny Saunders, GTR’s Customer Services Director, said: “We really appreciate our customers’ patience while Network Rail carry out these major improvement programmes, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience and extra journey time some passengers will experience. We’re working closely with Network Rail to plan this work for when it’s least disruptive, and the result will be more reliable journeys for everyone using Victoria in the future.

“We’re advising people to check journey planners in advance, and for those travelling in and out of central London to use London Bridge or Blackfriars – we've arranged ticket acceptance for our customers to use Tube links to and from Victoria as necessary.”