Essential work on the Brighton Main Line
Over a series of weekends, we are undertaking essential work on the Brighton Main Line
Project timeline
Essential engineering works will take place over three weekends in 2026.
Taking the opportunity to do as much as maintenance work as possible during the winter months means we can protect the main trunk of the Brighton Main Line during the peak tourism season.
When is the work taking place?
We are carrying out essential engineering work on:
- Sunday 3 May 2026
- Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 2026
- Sunday 29 November 2026
On these weekends, the Brighton Main Line will be closed between Brighton / Lewes / Hove and Three Bridges.
On Sunday 10 January 2027, no trains will run between Gatwick Airport and Purley / East Croydon.
More details on the train service alterations and replacement bus services closer to the time.
We will also undertake a nine-day closure over half-term in February 2027.
From Saturday 13 through to Sunday 21 February, no trains will run between Three Bridges and Lewes / Brighton / Hove via Haywards Heath.
This is to allow us to carry out a number of very significant and large pieces of engineering work which cannot be done over regular weekend closures.
This major programme of work has been timed to take place over the half-term holidays for most schools, when fewer people travel.
We will provide more information about the impacts of this engineering work on your journeys, including details of the replacement bus and diverted train services that will be running over the nine-days, later this year.
What work is taking place?
We’re carrying out essential improvements to enhance reliability and safety across the network. The work includes track renewal, earthworks, drainage repairs, bridge maintenance and improved access points.
On Sunday 3 May 2026, key improvements to boost reliability and safety include:
- Track Renewal: Installing new switches and crossings at Preston Park and renewing those at Keymer Junction near Burgess Hill. Switches and crossings are the vital bit of kit that allows trains to change tracks. We will also be maintaining the track and signals at Balcombe.
- Drainage: Undertaking tunnel maintenance and repairing the drainage systems through the Balcombe tunnel to manage water effectively and reduce potential delays. Tunnel maintenance is also taking place at the Clayton tunnel near Burgess Hill
- Earthworks: surveying cuttings at Hayward Heath, crucial to prevent landslips.
- Power supply: Installing new cabling through Haywards Heath tunnel and at Clayton tunnel.
On Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October and Sunday 29 November 2026 we will be undertaking track maintenance and work on the line’s structures.
How will this work affect me?
Sunday 3 May 2026
Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 October 2026
Sunday 29 November 2026
On these dates, no trains will run between:
- Brighton and Three Bridges
- Hove and Three Bridges (via Haywards Heath)
- Lewes and Three Bridges
Replacement buses will run between:
- Three Bridges and Preston Park calling at all stations
- Three Bridges and Lewes calling at Haywards Heath and Cooksbridge
- Balcombe and Brighton calling at all stations
- Haywards Heath and Plumpton and between Plumpton and Lewes
- (And only at the start and end of the day when direct trains via Littlehampton are not running) Three Bridges and Brighton
A diverted Southern train service will run between Brighton and London Victoria calling at Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Angmering, Littlehampton, Horsham, Three Bridges, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon, Clapham Junction.
If you are travelling between the Brighton area and London, you are strongly advised to use this train service rather than the limited replacement bus service.
Journey times will be extended so please plan your journey carefully and allow extra time.
Check before you travel
Please visit the Southern Railway website for the latest travel advice.
Why is the work needed?
The busy Brighton Main Line is among the most complex and congested routes in the country, with some of the most intensively used infrastructure in the country.
We know 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 only work in the summer months when we have no alternative. That means that every winter, we have a series of vital maintenance closures on sections of the Brighton Main Line.
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