Network Rail confirms nine-day Brighton Main Line closure for February 2027 half-term

Network Rail will close the Brighton Main Line between Three Bridges and Brighton and Lewes for nine days from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 February 2027 to deliver a concentrated programme of renewals over the February half-term.

The infrastructure owner said on 10 November that engineers would carry out track renewals, earthworks strengthening, new conductor rail, level crossing renewals and tunnel works during the closure, with buses replacing trains on the affected routes.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail's Sussex route director, said: "This work is vital to reduce faults, improve journey reliability and keep services running safely for years to come."

She added that "the extended closure over February half-term 2027 allows us to deliver a huge volume of work at once, avoiding repeated disruption across multiple weekends or during the busy summer season."

The work

Track renewal will involve new rails at Plumpton and Preston Park, together with renewed track and switches and crossings at Keymer Junction near Wivelsfield, Network Rail said.

Earthworks teams will strengthen and stabilise Haywards Heath cutting and the Balcombe Stamford rock cutting to reduce the risk of landslips and rock falls.

In the tunnels, structural works are planned at Balcombe Tunnel and new rails will be laid through Clayton Tunnel. Ahead of the route's nine-day closure in 2022, Network Rail said engineers would replace track in the 1841-built Clayton Tunnel.

New conductor rail, the third rail that supplies power to trains, will be installed between Clayton Tunnel and Preston Park. Level crossings at Spatham Lane near Westmeston and at Hamsey in East Sussex will be renewed with new signalling.

How the scope has changed

The February 2027 scope published this week differs from the one Network Rail set out when it first announced the closure on 26 March 2026. The March release listed new rails at Plumpton and Haywards Heath with switches and crossings at Preston Park, essential maintenance on the Ouse Valley Viaduct and drainage repairs at Stone Hall Bridge near Balcombe.

The viaduct and drainage items do not appear in the November list, which instead adds conductor rail, re-railing through Clayton Tunnel and the two level crossings.

Passenger arrangements

Jenny Saunders, Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink Customer Service Director, said: "Trains to and from Brighton will be diverted and buses will replace services on affected routes for nine days, so we're asking customers to save the dates in their diaries."

A direct London Victoria to Brighton service will continue to run but will be diverted via Horsham and Littlehampton, extending journey times. Network Rail said replacement buses would run on five routes, including Three Bridges to Brighton via all stations and a weekday-only service between Lewes and East Grinstead. Train times on the East and West Coastway routes to and from Brighton will also be revised.

Winter sequence of closures

The half-term blockade is one of several closures on the route this winter. Network Rail's project page states that the line between Brighton, Lewes and Hove and Three Bridges will close on Sunday 29 November 2026 for track maintenance and structures work.

Engineering work is also planned in the Redhill area over Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027. Network Rail said this forms part of a £31.7m investment across its Southern region this Christmas, with all services calling at Redhill replaced by buses from Sunday 20 December.

Previous blockades

Network Rail has used nine-day closures on this section before. It previously scheduled a nine-day closure from 16 to 24 February 2019 under a £300m government-funded reliability programme, which also involved 15 supporting weekend closures between September 2018 and May 2019.

The 2022 closure was a £15m upgrade centred on an £11m renewal of Copyhold Junction near Haywards Heath. Katie Frost, then Sussex route director for Network Rail, said at the time that the alternative would have been up to 20 weekend closures or multiple bank holiday closures over two years.

Network Rail said its Sussex Upgrade programme is investing more than £750m from 2019 to 2024 to improve the railway. Its project page describes the Brighton Main Line as among the most complex and congested routes in the country, and says the 2027 work was timed for the half-term holidays because fewer people travel.

Online journey planners will show the revised train and replacement bus times for the February week later in November 2026, according to Network Rail.