Network Rail is urging passengers to plan ahead for a nine-day Brighton Main Line closure from Saturday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 21, 2027. Buses will replace trains between Three Bridges and Brighton or Lewes via Haywards Heath while engineers renew track, strengthen cuttings and carry out work in two tunnels.
Network Rail issued its latest travel reminder on Nov. 10, setting out the replacement bus routes and confirming that a direct train service between London Victoria and Brighton will continue on a diversion via Horsham and Littlehampton. The diversion will extend journey times. Network Rail recommends it for passengers traveling between the Brighton and Hove area and London or Gatwick Airport.
Brighton Main Line closure and replacement buses
An all-stations bus will link Three Bridges and Brighton. Buses between Three Bridges and Lewes will serve Haywards Heath and Cooksbridge, with additional services between Three Bridges and Haywards Heath and between Haywards Heath and Plumpton. A weekday-only replacement bus will also link Lewes and East Grinstead.
Train times on the East and West Coastway routes to and from Brighton will also change. Network Rail expects online journey planners to start showing revised train and replacement bus times later in November. Passengers should check their full journey before traveling and allow extra time, especially if they need to change between a train and a replacement bus.
What Network Rail will upgrade
Engineers will lay new rails at Plumpton and Preston Park and renew the track and equipment that lets trains move between routes at Keymer Junction, near Wivelsfield. They will also stabilize cuttings at Haywards Heath and near Balcombe to reduce the risk of landslips and rockfalls.
Balcombe Tunnel will undergo structural work, while Clayton Tunnel will get new rails. Between Clayton Tunnel and Preston Park, engineers will replace the conductor rail that supplies electricity to trains. The program also includes signaling and level crossing work at Spatham Lane near Westmeston and at Hamsey in East Sussex.
Network Rail says doing the work in one block allows engineers to tackle jobs that need more time than a standard weekend closure. It chose the February half-term, when fewer people travel, to carry out the work ahead of the busy summer season.
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