RAIL passengers travelling on a major route can expect delays as planned engineering work gets underway.
Commuters are being advised to plan ahead of the partial line closure, which will affect a busy UK airport.
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Planned engineering work will mean no trains are scheduled to run between Gatwick Airport, Brighton, Hove, Lewes or Horsham on Sunday, November 30Credit: Govia Thameslink Railway
Essential engineering work is due to be carried out on the Brighton Main Line south of Gatwick Airport on Sunday, November 30.
The scheduled maintenance means no trains will be running between Gatwick, Brighton, Hove, Lewes or Horsham.
Passengers are advised to plan ahead, with buses set to replace services on the closed part of the route.
Planned works
All four tracks in this section are due to be closed as major work gets underway.
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Among Network Rail’s major package of works is the replacement of sections of the track.
This will take place at Tinsley Green Junction near Crawley, at Three Bridges, and between Copyhold Junction and the Ouse Valley viaduct.
Meanwhile, drainage systems at Wivelsfield station will also be renewed and maintenance will also take place at Keymer level crossing and other locations.
According to Network Rail, these improvements are vital to keep services safe and reliable.
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director spoke to Sussex Express about the planned works.
“We know closing the railway is frustrating, and we are sorry for the disruption this causes,” she said.
“This work is essential for us as we try and prevent speed restrictions or emergency closures occurring in the future, which would cause even bigger delays at these locations and on the wider rail network.”
She went on to thank passengers for their understanding, and advised them to “plan ahead and check before you travel if you are travelling on Sunday, November 30, as your journey will take longer”.
Alternative routes
As well as replacement buses, a diverted Southern train service will run between Brighton and London Victoria calling at Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Angmering, Littlehampton, Horsham, and Clapham Junction.
Anyone travelling between Brighton and London on the affected date is strongly advised to use this train service rather than the limited replacement bus service.
Passengers are also reminded that travelling by replacement buses on routes between Brighton, Lewes, Haywards Heath, or and Gatwick Airport, they will require a transfer.
Passenger advice
All lines are closed between Brighton and Gatwick Airport, which means no trains will run between:
- Brighton, Hove, Lewes and Horsham to/from Gatwick Airport
Replacement buses will run between:
- Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport
- Brighton and Three Bridges
- Horsham and Three Bridges
- Lewes/Cooksbridge/Plumpton and Haywards Heath and Three Bridges
Commuters will need to change buses at Three Bridges for a separate shuttle bus service between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport.
This is due to insufficient space at Gatwick Airport for the required temporary queuing systems.
The Three Bridges station car park will be converted into a temporary bus hub with different queues for buses serving various destinations.
To facilitate this bus hub, the station car park at Three Bridges will be closed from the evening of Saturday, November 29 until early morning Monday, December 1.
Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Govia Thameslink Railway, advised passengers to plan ahead.
“Any of our customers travelling between the coast and Gatwick this Sunday should please take note that this essential work is going to extend their journeys considerably,” she said.
“Please plan ahead at nationalrail.co.uk and check live running information online before you leave for the station.”
Further major works will also take place on the Brighton Main Line over three weekends in January, between Gatwick Airport and Purley and East Croydon.
Branch lines between Reigate and Redhill and Redhill to Tonbridge will also be affected by this work.
And there will be a closure between Three Bridges and Brighton on Sunday, February 1.
Replacement buses will run where trains are not operating, and detailed travel advice about those closures will be shared in December.
More on travel disruptions
Meanwhile, Christmas chaos is expected as train workers announce wave of strikes on four key dates.
British Airways and Ryanair have been forced to cancel flights to two major airports.
And Ryanair is also set to axe all flights to European islands often compared to Hawaii.
A massive UK train station is shutting for nine days as part of an £8 million “once-in-a-generation” overhaul.
Plus, the UK’s busiest train station will shut for a week over Christmas causing chaos for millions.
The scheduled maintenance means no trains will be running between Gatwick, Brighton, Hove, Lewes or HorshamCredit: Getty
