Engineering work between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport

Q: I have rail tickets which were purchased weeks ago, but my booked train is no longer running, or I no longer wish to travel. What are my options?

Please visit our refunds page for more information.

Q: Will the replacement buses be accessible?

When we provide rail replacement buses or coaches for planned disruption, we use accessible vehicles. In circumstances when this is not possible, our Assisted Travel and customer facing teams will always identify an alternative journey plan to enable disabled customers to complete their journey. More information about accessible travel and rail replacement buses can be found here .

Q: Can I bring my bike on a replacement bus?

For safety reasons we can’t take non-folding bikes on rail replacement buses. More information about travelling with bikes can be found here .

Sunday 13 July

No trains between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport

Urgent track repair work is required between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport, meaning that all lines will be closed for the whole day on Sunday 13 July.

Customers travelling between London and Gatwick Airport should use Southern trains between London Bridge and East Grinstead for frequent bus services between East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport.
Customers travelling between London and the South Coast, including Brighton, should use train services to/from East Grinstead, where replacement bus services will be running to/from Three Bridges for onward journeys. This will take considerably longer than normal.
Direct Southern trains will also run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, via an alternative route. Please note, this alternative route will take considerably longer than the usual service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, so please plan ahead and leave plenty of time to reach the airport.
Replacement buses will also run between East Croydon and Redhill / Tattenham Corner, between Redhill and Tonbridge, and between Redhill and Gatwick Airport.
Journey times will be extended when using replacement buses. Buses will be limited, and queuing systems will be in place. You may not be able to board your chosen service, so please leave plenty of time for your journey.

Journey planners are now up to date, with the exception of replacement buses running between Redhill and Tonbridge, so please plan ahead and check your journey before travelling. Bus times for the Redhill to Tonbridge route have been affected by roadworks and the diversionary route in place, so these have been amended and will be showing in journey planners from Tuesday 8 July.

A map showing the closures, along with replacement buses, can be downloaded here.

Car park closures

To ensure the smooth and safe operation of replacement bus services during these works, the following car park closures will be in place from 22:00 on Friday 11 until 23:59 on Sunday 13 July:

Three Bridges (Full closure)
Redhill (Full closure)
East Grinstead (Partial closure – the car park at the front of the station will be closed)

Using Oyster or Contactless Pay As You Go to get to Gatwick Airport?

If using Oyster or contactless Pay As You Go to travel to Gatwick Airport, after getting off the replacement bus please ensure you touch out on the readers at Gatwick Airport rail station to ensure you are charged the correct fare. If you cannot touch out on one of the readers, you’ll need to get in touch with TfL here to resolve your incomplete journey.   

The current service plan is shown below:

Southern & Gatwick Express

London Victoria to Gatwick service will only run between London Victoria and East Croydon, calling at Clapham Junction

London Victoria to Brighton service will instead run between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport via Horsham and will not serve Brighton – 2 trains per hour (please note, this route takes considerably longer than the normal London Victoria to Gatwick Airport service, so please plan accordingly)

London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour service will only run between Gatwick Airport and Portsmouth Harbour – 1 train per hour (please note, at Three Bridges, these services will be set down only when travelling towards Gatwick, and pick up only when travelling towards the South Coast. This means that you will not be able to catch this service to the airport from Three Bridges.)

London Victoria to Ore service will only run between Three Bridges and Ore – 1 train per hour

London Victoria to Littlehampton service will only run between Three Bridges and Littlehampton – 1 train per hour

London Victoria to East Grinstead service will be replaced with a London Bridge to East Grinstead service – 2 trains per hour will run semi-fast between East Croydon and East Grinstead calling at South Croydon and Oxted only. 1 train per hour will operate the usual calling pattern between East Croydon and East Grinstead, with the addition of South Croydon.

The usual Southern overnight service between London Victoria and Three Bridges will be replaced with 1 train per hour London Victoria to East Grinstead, calling at Clapham Junction and East Croydon; and 1 train per hour Gatwick Airport to Three Bridges.

London Bridge to Caterham service will not run

Purley to Tattenham Corner service will not run

London Victoria to Reigate service will not run

Redhill to Tonbridge service will not run

London Bridge to London Victoria via Crystal Palace service will not run

Clapham Junction to Watford Junction service will not run

Thameslink

Bedford to Three Bridges service will only run between Bedford and East Croydon – 1 train per hour

Cambridge to Brighton service will only run between Cambridge and London King’s Cross – 1 train per hour

Bedford to Brighton service will be split and run between Bedford and East Croydon (2 trains per hour), and between Gatwick Airport and Brighton (2 trains per hour)

Bedford to Horsham service will be split and run between Bedford and East Croydon (1 train per hour), and between Gatwick Airport and Horsham (1 train per hour. Please note, at Three Bridges, these services will be set down only when travelling towards Gatwick, and pick up only when travelling towards the Horsham. This means that you will not be able to catch this service to the airport from Three Bridges)

St Albans to Sutton services will only run between London Blackfriars and Sutton via Mitcham Junction – 2 trains per hour

Replacement bus services & ticket acceptance

Bus services will run on the following routes:

East Croydon to Redhill – calling at Purley, Coulsdon South and Merstham
Redhill to Gatwick Airport – calling at all stations
Gatwick Airport to East Grinstead – non-stop
Three Bridges to East Grinstead – non-stop
East Croydon to Tattenham Corner – calling at all stations
Redhill to Tonbridge – calling at all stations

Ticket acceptance will be in place on the following:

London Underground:

Victoria line between London Victoria and London Euston
Circle and Central lines between London Victoria and Shepherds Bush
District line between London Victoria and West Brompton
Bakerloo line between Oxford Circus and Harrow & Wealdstone
Jubilee line between London Bridge and Canada Water

London Overground between London Euston and Watford Junction, and between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction

London Northwestern Railway between London Euston and Watford Junction

Southwestern Railway between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour

Southeastern between London Charing Cross/London Bridge and Hastings

Great Western Railway between Redhill and Reigate

TfL bus routes between Balham, Crystal Palace and West Croydon, and between East Croydon and Caterham

I’m planning a day out from London to the coast, will this closure affect me?

Yes, this closure will affect all journeys between London and the Sussex coast, including to and from Brighton.

If you’re planning a visit to the beach or coast for the day, we strongly advise you carefully plan your trip.

You may wish to consider a day out to an alternative coastal destination using trains that go via different routes.

For inspiration try these:

Amazing beaches in Kent & East Sussex. 

The best seaside towns in south west England.

I have rail tickets which were purchased weeks ago, but my booked train is no longer running, or I no longer wish to travel. What are my options? 

Will the replacement buses be accessible?

Can I bring my bike on a replacement bus?

Engineering work between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport

No trains between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport

Frequently asked questions