railway

HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to the south coast during the half-term school holidays are set to face travel chaos.

The train line between London and Brighton will close for nine days in February next year, coinciding with the school half term holidays.

No trains will run on the Brighton Main Line between Three Bridges and Brighton or Lewes from February 13 to 21.

The closure is taking place for engineering works to be carried out.

Network Rail and train operators are urging passengers to plan ahead.

There will be some replacement buses on the routes though.

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And the direct route between Brighton and London Victoria will be diverted via Horsham and Littlehampton – with a longer journey time.

Replacement buses available during the railway line closure include:

• Between Three Bridges and Brighton, calling at all stations
• Between Three Bridges and Lewes, via Haywards Heath and Cooksbridge
• Between Three Bridges and Haywards Heath
• Between Haywards Heath and Plumpton
• Between Lewes and East Grinstead, on weekdays only

Travellers heading between Brighton and Hove and Gatwick or London are being encouraged to use the trains still, rather than the replacement buses.

Works being carried out include replacing the rails at Plumpton and Preston Park and renewing the track, switches and crossings at Keymer Junction near Wivelsfield.

Balcombe Tunnel will also undergo structural work and the Clayton Tunnel will get new rails.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “We know closing the railway is an inconvenience, but 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.”

THERE are thousands of pubs around the UK – but if you want to enjoy a pint and bite to eat in the very best, head to Eccles.

The Queens Arms, which is also the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway pub, has just been declared the top boozer in the country.

The accolade comes from the Good Food Guide which created the ranking from 20,000 reader nominations.

While The Queens Arms might look like a traditional British pub from the outside, don’t expect any pie and mash here.

Instead, it has a Japanese izakaya-style menu serving up katsu, noodle bowls, eel and wagyu burgers.

It was praised by Good Food Guide for its ‘unexpected’ blend of culture and that proves to be popular with visitors too.

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On Tripadvisor, one punter called it an ‘old fashioned relaxed traditional pub with a Japanese twist’.

Others called it a ‘gem of a place’ – lots praised the food too, especially ‘light and crispy’ tempura battered prawns and crab.

Despite its Japanese menu, the Grade-II listed pub still retains lots of its original features like fireplaces, bar fittings and booth seats.

For anyone who still wants a more traditional experience, there’s also a drinking den which has a dartboard and draught beers.

Historically, the pub was named The Patricroft Tavern – it opened in 1828 aligning with the launch of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.

According to history, Eccles cakes and beer were even sold to passengers, but this had to stop eventually because it was delaying the trains.

It was a busy hub for passengers for years and it’s rumoured that Queen Victoria even stepped inside a few times.

This was reportedly the reason as to why the pub was renamed The Queens Arms later on.

As for where you’ll find, it the boozer is in Eccles, Greater Manchester

The town shares its name with the well-known Eccles cake, a flaky pastry filled with currants and mixed spices.

These were first sold in Eccles back in 1796 and consequently, the cakes were named after the town.

So one must-do for any visitor is to pop into one of its cafes to try one of the baked goodies.

Lots of the independent cafes are found on Monton Road including Playfoots Cafe and Bar, Oats & Honey, and Monton Village Bakery.

Another popular activity in Eccles is a stroll or cycle along the waterfront.

The Bridgewater Canal which connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh runs through the town of Eccles and there are lots of trails beside it.

The nearest train stop to The Queens Arms is Patricroft, which is also just 17-minutes away from Manchester Piccadilly.

If you’re planning heading to the city, check out the best hidden gems according to locals from even more shops to family-friendly attractions.

MOVE over St Pancras – there’s a new kid on the block for rail services to Europe.

Lord Sadiq Khan has revealed plans to launch trains to Europe from Stratford International Station within the next four years.

Despite its name, the station has never had international services, but according to The Standard, the station is set to undergo a £20million project to launch trains to France by 2030.

One in three trains to and from France could stop at the station under the new plans – being a stop on services, rather than a new origin or destination station.

It’s predicted that the stop would add five to eight minutes to the overall journey time.

Sadiq Khan told The Standard: “We’ve been working closely with the Government to make Stratford International truly ‘international’ for the first time – opening up new opportunities for jobs, investment and tourism, while connecting one of the UK’s fastest-growing economic centres directly to Europe.

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“It’s time to unlock the full potential of this station and help write the next chapter in Stratford’s remarkable success story as we continue building a better, greener, more prosperous London for everyone.”

If trains to Europe did launch at Stratford International Station, around five million people in and around London would have better access to international rail services.

Services could run to Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

And eventually, there could be trains to Germany and Switzerland as well.

The current plans are also backed by a number of businesses as well as the train drivers’ union Aslef.

Stratford International finished construction in 2006 with four platforms.

However, the two platforms for international services as well as the area for international passengers have remained abandoned for the past two decades.

In order for the area to open, more work would need to be done including making the flow of passengers through security more efficient.

The station would be able to handle around 250 to 300 passengers at a time.

Meanwhile, Virgin is set to launch services from London St Pancras also by 2030, competing with Eurostar.