- Project: Brighton mainline engineering works closures.
- Location: Brighton mainline rail route.
- Closure Schedule: Three weekends this month.
- Additional Closures: Three more in following months.
- Purpose: Essential engineering maintenance works.
- Impact: Full line closure during periods.
On January 10 and 11, 17 and 18, and 24 and 25, buses will take the place of trains between Brighton and Gatwick.
Additionally, lines between Purley and East Croydon, Reigate and Redhill, and Redhill and Tonbridge will be shut down.
Additionally, on Sunday 1 February, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March, and Sunday 3 May 2026, the Brighton mainline between Brighton and Three Bridges, Brighton and Hove, and Brighton and Lewes will be closed.
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail Sussex route director, said:
“The busy Brighton main line 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.
We know that closing the railway at any time of the year causes inconvenience, but with the Brighton main line being a key route for the leisure and tourism industry on the south coast, we are using this typically quieter time on the railway to carry out these vital works, in an attempt to avoid having to close the railway during busier times of the year.
I’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while our teams work hard to improve the infrastructure on this critical stretch of railway.”
New rails and conductor rail will be installed, a cutting north of Merstham will be strengthened, the drainage networks along three miles of track at Caterham will be repaired, wheel timbers will be installed near Godstone and Coulsdon South, and a new road-rail access point for construction vehicles will be built near Purley.
Jenny Saunders, Southern and Thameslink’s Customer Service Director said:
“Over the next three weekends, engineers will be hard at work ensuring our Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services on this line will be safe and reliable for years to come.
This does mean that there will be some disruption to journeys, and your trip is likely to involve a bus.
We’ll have staff on hand at our stations to keep you on the move, and my advice is to check your journey online before you leave using a journey planner.”
The trunk Brighton Main Line route will not be closed on weekends during the summer, but there will be some in the second half of 2026. When the time approaches, further information on those will be made public.
What rail replacement buses run during the January closures?
Relief motorcars for the Brighton Main Line’s January 2026 closures operate along unrestricted sections between Gatwick Airport/ Purley and East Croydon, plus affected branches like Reigate- Redhill and Redhill- Tonbridge.Â
Motorcars link Gatwick Airport/ Three Islands to East Croydon/ Purley, calling at crucial stops; fresh services connect to/ from East Grinstead for frequent trains into London Victoria via East Croydon. Direct reserves serve unrestricted routes, with Sunday extensions to Purley- Caterham/ Tattenham Corner.Â
Accessible motorcars misbehave with regulations, and diverted trains( e.g., Gatwick- London Victoria via Clapham Junction) supplement where possible; check Southern Railway or National Rail for exact calendars and live updates.
