Engineering work and closures on the Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is the direct rail route between Brighton, Haywards Heath, Gatwick Airport and East Croydon. The route splits at East Croydon into different branches, running to and from London Bridge or London Victoria.
This page provides an overview of some of the upcoming major closures that will affect services on the Brighton Main Line.
For full details, always check and plan your journey using our app, or at nationalrail.co.uk
Sunday 30 November
All lines closed between Brighton and Gatwick Airport
No trains will run between:
- Brighton and Gatwick Airport
- Hove and Gatwick Airport
- Lewes and Gatwick Airport
- Horsham and 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
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.
If you are travelling between Brighton and London, you are strongly advised to use this train service rather than the limited replacement bus service.
Please also be aware that if you are travelling by replacement bus between Brighton / Lewes / Haywards Heath / Horsham and Gatwick Airport, you will need to change buses at Three Bridges for a shuttle bus service between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport.
This is due to Gatwick Airport not having sufficient space available to safely manage the large volume of buses and set up temporary queuing systems. At Three Bridges station, there is more space available, allowing us to convert the car park into a temporary bus hub to facilitate a number of queues for buses serving the various destinations.
To facilitate the safe operation of replacement buses, the station car park at Three Bridges will be closed from 22:00 on Friday 28 November until 23:59 on Sunday 30 November
Journey Planners have been updated to include the amended service plan.
Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 January 2026
Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 January 2026
Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 January 2026
All lines closed between Gatwick Airport and Purley / East Croydon
No trains will run on any routes between:
- Gatwick Airport and East Croydon / Purley
- Reigate and Redhill
- Redhill and Tonbridge
- Purley and Caterham on Sundays only (trains will run on Saturdays)
- Purley and Tattenham Corner on Sundays only (trains will run on Saturdays)
Replacement buses will run between:
- East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport
- East Grinstead and Three Bridges
- Redhill to Purley
- Gatwick Airport to Redhill
- Redhill and Tonbridge
- Reigate and Redhill
- Horsham and Dorking (on Saturdays only)
For journeys between central London and Gatwick Airport, use the diverted Southern train service that will run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport and call only at Clapham Junction.
Alternatively, use trains to East Grinstead and change there for replacement buses to/from Gatwick Airport.
For journeys between Brighton or the Sussex Coast and London, use trains to Three Bridges and change there for replacement buses to/from East Grinstead for onward train connections to/from central London.
Journey times will be extended, so please allow plenty of additional time, especially if you are travelling to the airport to catch a flight.
Journey Planners have been updated to include the amended service plan.
Sunday 1 February 2026
Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 March 2026
Sunday 10 May 2026
No trains will run between:
- Brighton and Three Bridges
- Hove and Three Bridges (via Haywards Heath)
- Lewes and Three Bridges
We will provide more details on alternative service plans for these dates soon.
Journey planners are generally updated with changes to services 12 weeks in advance.
Other closures
In addition to the major works shown above affecting the core Brighton Main Line route, there may also be closures on other parts of the network that could affect your journey. Changes to late night or early morning services may also have an impact.
Details of these will always be shown in our planned works calendar.
Why are these closures taking place?
The Brighton Main Line is a key route used by most, or all, Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink trains running between Sussex, Surrey and London. It is one of the busiest rail routes in the country, used by hundreds of trains a day which carry hundreds of thousands of customers a week.
With so many trains running day and night, infrastructure such as tracks, signalling systems, bridges and tunnels endure a lot of wear and tear. They require constant work to keep them operational and ensure our trains can run safely and reliably. Most of this work is done overnight when there are fewer or no trains running.
However, sometimes our partners at Network Rail – who maintain and upgrade the infrastructure – need more time to carry out larger pieces of work that cannot be done overnight. When this is required, we need to close parts of the route to give engineers the time and space to carry out this work safely.
We know there is never a good time to close such a critical railway line, but the work is planned to avoid the busiest times of the year, such as the summer months when large numbers of people travel to and from the coast or Gatwick Airport.
When the line is closed for planned works, trains may not be able to run or may need to be diverted. Replacement buses may also be provided. Journeys will also take longer, so you will need to allow extra time.
Further information
Visit our planned works calendar for more information about the date you’re travelling and always check and plan your journeys using our app, or at nationalrail.co.uk.