A MAJOR railway line will experience significant disruption this weekend as engineering work is carried out.
Parts of the route, which serves one of the busiest airports in the UK, will be out of service until Monday, 19 January.
Network Rail has confirmed plans to carry out essential improvements to the railway between Brighton, Gatwick Airport, and East Croydon on Saturday, 17 January and Sunday, 18 January.
This marks the second consecutive weekend of maintenance works on this route, with more closures scheduled for Saturday, 24 January and Sunday, 25 January.
The essential engineering works will continue over the next few months, taking place on selected weekends until Sunday, 10 May.
Additional engineering works have been confirmed for Sunday, 1 February, Saturday, 21 February, Sunday, 22 March, and Sunday, 10 May.
Network Rail has advised passengers to plan their journeys in advance, with buses set to replace the service on the effected dates.
These buses will serve Brighton Main Line stops between Gatwick Airport and Purley / East Croydon, as well as the branch lines between Reigate and Redhill, and between Redhill and Tonbridge.
In addition, a train service will run between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria using a diversionary route, calling at Clapham Junction.
“The busy Brighton main line is among the most complex and congested routes in the country, with the infrastructure being some of the oldest and most intensively used,” said Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail Sussex route director.
“Because of this, we need to carry out this work to try to prevent delays to passenger journeys.”
The stretch of railway serves the Southern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express services.
Key improvements to the route will include track renewal, a new electric conductor rail, earthworks, drainage repairs, bridge maintenance, and addition of road-rail access points.
Passengers are advised to check the Southern Railway website for the latest travel advice.