Temporary amendments to some Southern services due to the impact of prolonged extreme dry weather

Customers are being advised to check before they travel as targeted timetable changes are introduced on some parts of the Southern network on the Arun Valley and Uckfield lines from Tuesday 1 September.

These targeted changes are needed because temporary speed restrictions have been introduced by Network Rail on sections of the railway following a period of recent record-breaking hot weather and sustained low rainfall, which has affected track conditions in some areas.

Network Rail has a programme under way to protect the railway from extreme weather and climate change, supported by a £2.6 billion investment in track maintenance and renewals.

Investment includes drainage, earthworks, track and power improvements, as well as monitoring and predictive technologies to identify risks earlier and enable proactive intervention.

The speed restrictions being introduced will ensure trains can continue operating while inspections and monitoring is carried out. Maintenance teams continue to monitor and manage these speeds to safely address track conditions that have been affected by the recent hot weather and will take further steps if required.

Safety is and will always remain the railway’s highest priority. While trains can continue to run safely, the speed restrictions mean some services will take longer to complete their journeys.

Running the normal timetable could lead to delays building up throughout the day and increase the risk of short-notice cancellations. To provide customers with greater certainty and help keep services running as reliably as possible, a temporary revised timetable will operate until further notice.

The revised timetable has also been designed to minimise the impact on customers wherever possible, including protecting key services used by schoolchildren travelling to and from school.

From Tuesday 1 September, there will be temporary timetable changes on some parts of the Southern network:

• Some Uckfield line services will be replaced by buses between Crowborough and Uckfield.
• Customers travelling on the Arun Valley route may need to change trains and should allow extra time for their journeys.
• Some services will be busier than usual and train frequencies will be reduced on parts of the route.
• Seven additional peak-time services between the south coast/Uckfield and London Bridge will continue to not operate as they haven’t been since 22 July as part of summer timetable changes.

Temporary speed restrictions will need to remain in place while engineers undertake work to improve the resilience of the railway. This process can take time and while it is not yet possible to say exactly when the restrictions will be lifted, customers will be kept updated on progress.

Passengers should check before they travel at https://www.southernrailway.com/and at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Greater Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern, said: “We know these temporary changes will be disappointing for customers. Many people rely on our services to get to work, school, appointments and to see family and friends so we appreciate that changes like these can have a real impact on people's daily lives, which is why we've taken steps to protect key school-time services wherever possible.

“We're sorry for the disruption these changes may may cause. These measures are necessary to keep trains running safely and as reliably as possible, and allow engineers to complete their assessment.

"We're grateful for our customers' patience and understanding, and we'd encourage everyone travelling on the affected routes to check before they travel so they have the latest information and can plan their journeys with confidence.”

Louise Greaves, Infrastructure Director for Network Rail Sussex Route, said: “When we introduce speed restrictions on our railway, we do so with the safety of the railway and our customers at the forefront of our minds.

“Safety remains our top priority, and these are important steps to allow trains to continue to travel on our network. We realise that journeys may take longer, but we appreciate the understanding of our customers as our teams continue their work to maintain the resilience of the railway.”

Notes to editors

Uckfield line

From Tuesday 1 September:

• The weekday 07:03 service from Uckfield to London Bridge will not operate. The 07:33 service will continue to run with additional carriages to provide extra capacity.
• Six services to Uckfield and five services from Uckfield will instead start or terminate at Crowborough, with rail replacement buses operating between Crowborough and Uckfield. These changes begin with the 07:07 service from London Bridge and the 08:33 service from Uckfield, and will apply to services approximately every three hours throughout the day.

Peak-time additional services between London Bridge and the south coast

From Tuesday 1 September, the following additional peak-time services will not operate:

• 06:05 Littlehampton to London Bridge via Worthing
• 06:47 Eastbourne to London Bridge
• 07:02 Bognor Regis to London Bridge via Horsham
• 17:03 London Bridge to Eastbourne
• 17:33 London Bridge to Littlehampton via Worthing
• 18:03 London Bridge to Bognor Regis via Horsham

Arun Valley line

From Tuesday 1 September:

• Services between Portsmouth Harbour and London Victoria will be amended, with customers travelling between Portsmouth and London needing to change trains at Barnham.
• The Barnham to Bognor Regis shuttle service will not operate and train frequencies between those stations will reduce to half-hourly.
• Services between Bognor Regis and London Victoria will continue to run twice an hour, but some trains are expected to be busier than usual.

ENDS