busiest

RAIL passengers travelling on a major route can expect delays as planned engineering work gets underway.

Commuters are being advised to plan ahead of the partial line closure, which will affect a busy UK airport.

Essential engineering work is due to be carried out on the Brighton Main Line south of Gatwick Airport on Sunday, November 30.

The scheduled maintenance means no trains will be running between Gatwick, Brighton, Hove, Lewes or Horsham.

Passengers are advised to plan ahead, with buses set to replace services on the closed part of the route.

Planned works

All four tracks in this section are due to be closed as major work gets underway.

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Among Network Rail’s major package of works is the replacement of sections of the track.

This will take place at Tinsley Green Junction near Crawley, at Three Bridges, and between Copyhold Junction and the Ouse Valley viaduct.

Meanwhile, drainage systems at Wivelsfield station will also be renewed and maintenance will also take place at Keymer level crossing and other locations.

According to Network Rail, these improvements are vital to keep services safe and reliable.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director spoke to Sussex Express about the planned works.

“We know closing the railway is frustrating, and we are sorry for the disruption this causes,” she said.

“This work is essential for us as we try and prevent speed restrictions or emergency closures occurring in the future, which would cause even bigger delays at these locations and on the wider rail network.”

She went on to thank passengers for their understanding, and advised them to “plan ahead and check before you travel if you are travelling on Sunday, November 30, as your journey will take longer”.

Alternative routes

As well as replacement buses, a diverted Southern train service will run between Brighton and London Victoria calling at Hove, Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Angmering, Littlehampton, Horsham, and Clapham Junction.

Anyone travelling between Brighton and London on the affected date is strongly advised to use this train service rather than the limited replacement bus service.

Passengers are also reminded that travelling by replacement buses on routes between Brighton, Lewes, Haywards Heath, or and Gatwick Airport, they will require a transfer.

Commuters will need to change buses at Three Bridges for a separate shuttle bus service between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport.

This is due to insufficient space at Gatwick Airport for the required temporary queuing systems.

The Three Bridges station car park will be converted into a temporary bus hub with different queues for buses serving various destinations.

To facilitate this bus hub, the station car park at Three Bridges will be closed from the evening of Saturday, November 29 until early morning Monday, December 1.

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Govia Thameslink Railway, advised passengers to plan ahead.

“Any of our customers travelling between the coast and Gatwick this Sunday should please take note that this essential work is going to extend their journeys considerably,” she said.

“Please plan ahead at nationalrail.co.uk and check live running information online before you leave for the station.”

Further major works will also take place on the Brighton Main Line over three weekends in January, between Gatwick Airport and Purley and East Croydon.

Branch lines between Reigate and Redhill and Redhill to Tonbridge will also be affected by this work.

And there will be a closure between Three Bridges and Brighton on Sunday, February 1.

Replacement buses will run where trains are not operating, and detailed travel advice about those closures will be shared in December.

More on travel disruptions

Meanwhile, Christmas chaos is expected as train workers announce wave of strikes on four key dates.

British Airways and Ryanair have been forced to cancel flights to two major airports.

And Ryanair is also set to axe all flights to European islands often compared to Hawaii.

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A massive UK train station is shutting for nine days as part of an £8 million “once-in-a-generation” overhaul.

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A MAJOR airport hub that sees around 60million passengers per year has revealed its massive new masterplan.

It will spend £8.7billion over the next 10 years to expand adding a new terminal, piers, as well as gates for larger aircraft.

Amsterdam Schiphol is the largest airport in the Netherlands and a major European hub.

Currently, the airport only has one terminal, but the new masterplan reveals a south terminal is set to be built.

However Amsterdam Schiphol said that the airport will ‘retain its unique design and one-terminal concept’ with ‘everything under one roof’ and ‘within walking distance’.

It was also added that additional gates will be needed for the largest aircraft.

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Inside, there will be more space for additional shops, restaurants, seating areas and lounges.

Nearby, the roads around the airport will be upgraded along with public transport to the terminal.

Other plans include a new metro line between Amsterdam, Schiphol and the nearby town of Hoofddorp.

Work to upgrade the airport first started last year with the initial project upgrading Pier A as well Piers B, C, D and H/M.

Airport piers are also known as “arms” and are long, narrow buildings where planes can park.

Schiphol’s CEO Pieter van Oord commented on the proposed transformation: “For more than a century, Schiphol has been a home for world travellers, a hub for goods and a cornerstone of our economy.”

He continued: “With our plans for the future, we want to maintain and strengthen that position and contribute to the progress of the Netherlands. Our future can be summed up in two words: quality and balance.”

He added, “This is how we keep the Netherlands moving and make a small country great. With a high-quality airport that serves the Netherlands.”

It’s currently the fourth busiest airport in Europe; in 2024, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport handled 66.8 million passengers.

It was named the third best airport in Western Europe at this year’s Skytrax World Airport Awards.

One airport being built in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia will be the world’s biggest once built.

King Salman International Airport is set to surpass all other airports in size, including the current biggest airport in the world which is also in the country.

The 22sqm airport will feature six runways – up from two – parallel to each other and will be built around the existing King Khalid International Airport.

It will approximately be the same size as Manhattan in New York – or twice the size of the city of Bath in the UK.

The airport has moved into its construction phase and will be designed by Foster + Partners, a UK firm which is behind London‘s Gherkin.

Inside, travellers will be able to explore 4.6sqm of shops. A lot of features in the airport are set to include high tech, such as climate-controlled lighted.

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THOUSANDS of travellers are being warned to brace for major disruption this weekend as engineering works are set to cause significant delays at the UK’s busiest airport.

Heathrow, which is set to handle around 84 million passengers this year, has announced that major rail connections to and from the airport will be closed this weekend while essential maintenance work is carried out.

The disruption will affect travellers using the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line on Saturday November 15 and Sunday November 15, prompting airport officials to advise passengers to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

Heathrow Airport announced the closure on X, formerly Twitter, warning: “Due to planned engineering works, there will be no Heathrow Express or Elizabeth line train services to/from Heathrow on Sat 15 & Sun 16 November 2025.

“Piccadilly Line services to/from #Heathrow will be running as normal. Please plan your journey in advance as other services will be busier than normal.”

The engineering works are taking place between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport stations, and according to National Rail, “all lines” on the route will be closed during the two-day period.

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The National Rail website also states: “No trains to / from London Heathrow Airport from Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 November.”

This means that both the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line will be completely out of service over the weekend, affecting thousands of passengers travelling to or from the airport.

Routes listed as affected include the Elizabeth line between Shenfield and Heathrow Airport and the Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.

To help travellers plan ahead, Heathrow has released the times of the final trains before the closures begin.

The last Heathrow Express service from Terminal 5 will leave at 11.57pm on Friday, while the final train from Terminals 2 and 3 will depart at 12.03am.

From London Paddington, the final Heathrow Express departs at 11.25pm.

As for the Elizabeth line, the final service to central London will depart Terminal 5 at 12.07am, Terminals 2 and 3 at 12.12am, and Terminal 4 at 11.37pm.

The last Elizabeth line train from Paddington will leave at 11.24pm.

Those travelling from Terminals 2 and 3 to Terminal 5 can catch the final Elizabeth line service at 11.37pm, while the last train from Terminal 4 to Terminals 2 and 3 departs at 11.52pm.

Despite the disruption, the Piccadilly line will continue to operate as normal, providing the only direct underground connection to Heathrow throughout the weekend.

Travellers are being urged to consider alternative routes, including TfL Rail replacement buses, coach services, and taxis, which are likely to experience increased demand.

A Heathrow spokesperson reminded passengers: “We encourage everyone travelling on 15 and 16 November to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journey.

“With trains not running, roads and alternative transport will be busier than usual.”

The works form part of ongoing infrastructure improvements aimed at maintaining safety and reliability on the network.

However, the timing has sparked frustration among passengers planning half-term holidays and weekend getaways.

Experts have also warned that disruption could spill over into Monday morning as services return to normal and trains are repositioned.

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For up-to-date travel information, passengers are being advised to check the Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line, and National Rail websites before setting off.

The Sun has approached Heathrow for comment.