Network Rail is pressing on in the development of plans for upgrading the Brighton main line, despite the many uncertainties regarding the state of the world post-Covid.
The project on the route that is furthest advanced is the £150 million scheme for the upgrading of Gatwick Airport station, with the May 2020 timetable reshaped to give possession times for a planned two-year construction period at track level. Works at concourse level will be completed in 2023.
The plan at Gatwick is to make the current concourse entrance-only and to provide a new concourse for alighting passengers. Platforms are to be widened and new lifts and escalators provided for step-free access.
Next on the list are upgrades at Reigate, where a third, terminating platform is planned, and Norwood Junction, which is the first stage of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme (CARS).
REIGATE
Third rail extends from the Brighton main line at Redhill along the North Downs route as far as Reigate, allowing through EMUs from London to reach the town. However, short platforms at Reigate limit trains to four-car length, meaning Southern services to/from London Victoria need to split/join at Redhill. This extends journey times during peak hou…
