The changes have come about after the prolonged period of extreme heat
Customers are being advised to check their journeys, as major timetable changes are coming into effect on parts of the Southern Network due to a prolonged period of hot weather. The temporary speed restrictions are coming into force due to the recent period of record-breaking heat and low rainfall, which has affected track conditions in some areas.
Network Rail has announced speed restrictions on parts of the Southern Network on the Arun Valley and Uckfield Lines from Tuesday, September 1, which will mean several services into London Bridge will not operate.
The revised timetable includes changes for the Uckfield Line, meaning some services will be replaced by buses, including journeys from Crowborough and Uckfield.
Other changes include several peak-time services between the South Coast/Uckfield and London Bridge not being run at all since July 22, as part of summer timetable changes. The timetable changes include:
- 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.
From Tuesday, 1 September, the following additional peak-time services will not operate between London Bridge and the south coast.
- 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
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.”
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