With the London Marathon and an FA Cup semi-final taking place in London this Sunday, rail passengers are being advised to plan their journeys in advance because Southern and Thameslink train services on several routes will be affected by planned engineering works on both Saturday, 22nd and Sunday, 23rd April.

With the large numbers of people attending these events, trains and stations will be much busier than usual on Sunday, and passengers should allow plenty of time for their journeys.

The train companies have also been working closely with Brighton & Hove Albion FC to get the message across to their fans.

The engineering work will affect services in Sussex, Surrey, south and central London, with repairs, maintenance, and inspections taking place across all closed lines.

In central London, engineers will be replacing 270m of worn rail in the Snow Hill tunnel, which carries Thameslink trains under Smithfield Market.

On Sunday:

• Between Littlehampton and Brighton, buses will replace trains to allow Network Rail to carry out long-planned essential maintenance to track, switches, and crossings.
• Between Purley and Balcombe, some lines will be closed, resulting in slightly longer journey times on the Brighton Main Line, as Network Rail’s tamping machines will be packing the ballast under the rails and sleepers to ensure the track is level and trains run at full line speed.

On Saturday and Sunday:

• Between Streatham Hill and Crystal Palace / West Croydon, buses will replace trains whilst a new signalling system in South London is installed.
• Between London Bridge and St Pancras International or Finsbury Park no Thameslink services will run.
  From Brighton, Horsham and Rainham, Thameslink services will run to amended timetables and terminate at London Bridge.
• From Bedford and Luton, Thameslink services will terminate at St Pancras.
• From Peterborough and Cambridge, Thameslink services will be diverted to King’s Cross.
• Passengers can use Tube and bus services to cross central London.
• Between Hastings and Ashford International, buses will replace trains whilst engineers will replace rails, sleepers, and ballast near Winchelsea.
• Services between Ore and London Victoria will still run.

For the latest travel information, please visit the National Rail Enquiries website.

Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “We plan maintenance closures years in advance and we’re sorry that some passengers making their way to the football or to the marathon will have slightly longer journeys this weekend.

“Please be assured that the majority of routes into and out of London are running as normal.
“The railway needs regular maintenance to keep it running and the bumper package of essential repairs and improvements we have this week will keep passengers moving safely and reliably.”

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Southern and Thameslink, said: “We thank passengers for their patience while Network Rail carry out this essential work. We’ll still have trains running between Brighton and London, and along our East Coastway route as far as Ore. However, buses will replace services between Brighton and Littlehampton, and between Hastings and Ashford.

“Trains and replacement buses will be very busy on Sunday and there could be queues, so please allow plenty of extra time when planning your journey.”