Southern Railway services to and from London Bridge will be cancelled indefinitely from Tuesday, September 1, due to temporary speed restrictions imposed because of a prolonged period of extreme heat and low rainfall. The changes affect parts of the Southern Network, including the Arun Valley and Uckfield Lines, and will see several peak-time services withdrawn and some trains replaced by buses.
Speed restrictions and revised timetables
Network Rail has introduced the speed restrictions after record-breaking heat and dry conditions affected track conditions in some areas. The revised timetable means that on the Uckfield Line, some services will be replaced by rail replacement buses, including journeys from Crowborough and Uckfield.
In addition, several peak-time services between the South Coast, Uckfield, and London Bridge will not run at all, building on earlier summer timetable changes that have been in place since July 22.
Specific service changes from September 1
The weekday 07:03 service from Uckfield to London Bridge will not operate, while 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, September 1, 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
Operator and Network Rail responses
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.”
Saunders added: “We're sorry for the disruption these changes 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.”
Customers are advised to check their journeys before travelling, as the temporary changes are expected to remain in effect until further notice.
