Travelers along the southern coast should make preparations in advance for the Easter holiday weekend.
Construction activities throughout Sussex and southern London will impact rail services connecting to Brighton during the upcoming holiday period.
Network Rail will conduct operations from Friday, April 3 through Monday, April 6 to replace track sections and mitigate landslide risks across the Sussex railway infrastructure.
Lucy McAuliffe, who leads Network Rail’s Sussex division, expressed gratitude for passengers’ understanding while these essential improvements take place during Easter.
She noted that while no ideal time exists for closing the railway, the organization selected the Easter period when ridership traditionally decreases to limit the impact on travelers.
These initiatives are crucial for preserving the network’s functionality, ensuring trains operate securely and smoothly, which will decrease wait times and enhance dependability.
She advised those planning to use rail services over Easter to prepare in advance and verify their travel plans with their respective train operators.
Construction activities will affect routes traveling from Brighton toward Southampton.
On Easter Sunday, Southern Railway services connecting London Victoria with Portsmouth Harbour, Brighton and Southampton Central, and Littlehampton with Bognor will experience interruptions.
The project involves ground stabilization work at Stone Cross through a “soil nailing” technique—inserting steel bars into the terrain to reinforce slopes.
Crews will upgrade railway switching equipment at Bognor and Streatham South Junction, along with replacing pedestrian bridges at Ivy Lane and Hampden Park.
The footbridge at Hampden Park has remained inaccessible since early February for off-site restoration and is slated to resume service around mid-April.
The railway segment between Eastbourne and Hastings will be shut down throughout the Easter weekend.
On Sunday, service will be suspended among Arundel, Angmering, Littlehampton, Barnham, Bognor, and Chichester.
Jenny Saunders, Southern Railway’s customer service manager, acknowledged passengers’ patience during these improvement efforts and regretted the added travel time some customers will face.
She emphasized that the outcome would provide more dependable journeys for all passengers and recommended checking travel planners ahead of time.
Substitute bus services will operate between impacted stations.
Services typically running between Eastbourne and Ashford International will instead operate between Hastings and Ashford International.
Services connecting London Victoria with Eastbourne, plus Brighton with Eastbourne, will follow a modified schedule.
Throughout Saturday through Monday, Southeastern will honor tickets at standard rates on services between Hastings and London.
Those seeking additional details can reach Network Rail’s customer line at 03457 11 41 41.