Weekend railway closures to be in place once again

Engineering work is set to be carried out and closures are going to be in place on parts of the railway in Sussex, Surrey and Kent for the third weekend in a row.

Network Rail is carrying out essential improvements to the railway between Brighton, Gatwick Airport and East Croydon on Saturday and Sunday.

Buses will replace trains on the Brighton Mainline between Gatwick Airport and both Purley and East Croydon, as well as on the branch lines between Reigate and Redhill, and between Redhill and Tonbridge.

Closures were also in place on 10-11 and 17-18 of January.

Work is being carried out to complete tasks including installing new rails, refurbishing switches and crossings, and repairing drainage systems.

Additional engineering works will also take place on 1 February, 21-22 March, and 3 May, with the Brighton Mainline being closed between Brighton, Lewes, and Hove, and Three Bridges.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail's Sussex route director, said: "The busy Brighton Mainline is among the most complex and congested routes in the country, with the infrastructure being some of the oldest and most intensively used.

"Because of this, we need to carry out this work to try to prevent delays to passenger journeys."

Future weekend closures are also expected in the latter half of 2026 after the summer.

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