A lack of available vehicles means that a limited rail replacement bus service will be in operation between Three Bridges and Brighton on Sunday 8 October.
Customer Advice
This Sunday 8 October, major engineering work is taking place between Three Bridges and Brighton, closing all lines.
However, rail replacement bus operators have been unable to provide the usual amount of drivers. As such, please follow the below advice:
For journeys between London / Croydon / Gatwick Airport / Three Bridges and Brighton:
- Southern train services will be running between London Victoria and Brighton, but will be diverted via Horsham and Littlehampton with an extended journey time.
- If you are travelling between London / Croydon / Gatwick and Brighton, you should use these services to complete your journey. Please do not attempt to change at Three Bridges for a rail replacement bus. Tickets marked "Thameslink only" will be accepted on these Southern services for no extra cost to yourself.
For journeys between London / Croydon / Gatwick Airport / Three Bridges and Lewes:
- A limited bus replacement service will run between Three Bridges and Lewes, with a maximum hourly service in each direction.
- It may be possible to reach your destination by using Southeastern services between London Victoria and Hastings, changing at St Leonards Warrior Square or Hastings for trains to Eastbourne and Lewes. These trains are also expected to be extremely busy and you will need to purchase the correct ticket for these services.
For journeys to / from stations between Three Bridges and Brighton via Haywards Heath:
- Preston Park, Hassocks, Burgess Hill, Wivelsfield, Haywards Heath and Balcombe will have no train services all day Sunday.
- A limited half-hourly rail replacement bus service will run between Three Bridges and Brighton calling all all stations. It is expected that there will be a long wait for the buses, as they will be very busy given the anticipated good weather.
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Alternative local bus options:
Local bus routes will also be very busy and will not be able to carry all customers. Therefore, no ticket acceptance has been arranged with them.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
Staff work closely with Network Rail to plan for works taking place. Unfortunately, in this case, the expected availability of rail replacement drivers is substantially less than we need to run a full service. Along with the wider industry, there has been a reduction in the availability of rail replacement drivers in recent years.
Staff have explored cancelling the engineering works with Network Rail, alongside other alternative journey options to provide a service, but regrettably, have not been able to find any viable options to run the whole timetable.
Check before you travel:
You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner
Compensation:
You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.