Rail users face a nightmare nine days of disruption with the closure of the Brighton Mainline between the Three Bridges, Brighton and Lewes

Commuters and other rail users will be hit by longer journey times and rail-replacement services for nine days in February.
Network Rail engineersNetwork Rail engineers
Network Rail engineers

Commuters and other rail users will be hit by longer journey times and rail-replacement services for nine days in February.

Network Rail has announced the railway between Three Bridges, Brighton and Lewes will close for nine days from Saturday February 19 to February 27 February 2022, with weekend work taking place before and after the main closure.

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Passengers will face longer diverted journeys or rail-replacement buses.

Engineers for Network Rail will work on an £11m junction renewal near Haywards Heath and build a new underpass at Hassocks.

The planned work follows a fortnight’s closure of the line between Hove and Brighton, which was completed last Friday.

Katie Frost, Sussex route director for Network Rail, said: “I really appreciate the patience of our passengers as I know it feels like we’re constantly working on the railway, but by concentrating work into week or two-week blocks like this, we’re able to get more work done and reduce the number of weekends we’d have to close the railway.

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“The Brighton Main Line is Sussex’s major railway artery and is used by hundreds of trains a day travelling to destinations across the South of England. By completing the critical work at Hove and planning this next major project, we are protecting the railway for the future and helping the country and the railway build back better from the pandemic. The alternative would have been up to 20 weekend closures or multiple bank holiday closures over two years, which would be unacceptable to our neighbours, passengers and stakeholders.

“We are working hard alongside our train operators to plan alternatives for passengers and keep them informed of the changes to services when work is taking place.”

Network Rail has said they will rebuild Copyhold Junction with new track and points (near Haywards Heath), and replace track at Burgess Hill. Woodside level crossing near Hassocks will be replaced with an underpass.

The work being delivered at Copyhold Junction and Burgess Hill includes: more than 7,000 tonnes of ballast – the stones beneath the track that give support and replacing more than 1,000 metres of track.