Sussex

At Willingdon Junction in Eastbourne, a £2.2m investment in the infrastructure will improve reliability for passengers and has been designed to have a life expectancy of at least 50 years. This will include renewing the switches and crossings (the moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another and allow them to cross paths), installing new points (the equipment that allows trains to switch tracks) and heating equipment to support their continued reliable running during the cold winter months.

Alongside this, 750m of third rail (the electrified 750V rail that powers trains) will be renewed and 2,300 tonnes of new ballast (the stones beneath the track that  support the rails and sleepers) and 450 new concrete sleepers will be installed.

In the South Croydon area, Whyteleafe level crossing will be upgraded with new electrical circuits to extend the crossing’s life and improve performance while between Balham and Beckenham Junction, engineers will be replacing life-expired switches and crossings as well as carrying out wheel timber renewals (the sections of wood that provide extra support to the rails) and preparing the area for the installation of the new signalling system in the future.

Between Brixton Junction and Denmark Hill, work to support the new signalling will be completed with the installation of a new signal gantry across the track. This work is part of a major package of upgrades to modernise 1980s track and signalling on the South London lines into London Victoria station. During the line closure, some switches and crossings will also be refurbished and vegetation along the line will be cleared.

To find out more about the Easter closures and to check how these may impact the railway in your area, please click here. 

From regional managing directors to frontline staff, a huge number of our teams took part in the event, helping to raise over £130,000.

This year’s event, sponsored by VolkerRail, was even bigger than last year’s sleepout, with the highest number of participants ever taking part including at seven Network Rail managed stations.

Railway Children work to help identify and support vulnerable children that may be in danger, including those that have run away and those who may be at risk of violence, abuse or exploitation, with the aim to provide them with the safety and support that they need.

To find out more about the incredible work that the charity carry out, as well as some information about the recent sleepout event, please click here.

Just outside of Lewes station, our teams were carrying out routine maintenance on a Victorian bridge to keep it open and safe for passengers.

On the same weekend, we also made good progress with our project at Victoria station, where we are increasing the number of ticket gates from 88 to 121, adding five new wide gates and upgrading eleven others to make them fully automatic. We’re also opening up and expanding the station concourse area that serves platforms 15-19. You can find out more about this project, here.

On Friday 15 March, a bridge strike in Croydon resulted in an emergency response by our maintenance and structural teams to make the bridge safe. They demolished the brick parapet wall hit by the vehicle, and installed a temporary fence and crash barrier to make the road safe and enable the railway to reopen.

In terms of track, in March we’ve renewed over 2500 yards of conductor rail at Merstham Tunnel and over 300 yards at Tulse Hill in South London.

Finally, nearby on our Kent route in Maidstone, we responded to a rock fall caused by the intense period of heavy rainfall. A number of rocks and some earth material had slipped down the cutting towards the track. Thankfully, the slipped material was caught by our lineside fence, but as this is a short term solution, our teams were on site during one night removing the rock and soil, and shoring up the soil.

We are extremely lucky to have a host of proactive groups and partnerships throughout the Southern region which help to promote the railway and build engagement opportunities for us as an organisation. 

We would like to congratulate the groups and individuals who won or were shortlisted for awards at this year's ceremony in Swansea. We look forward to continuing our work and involvement with community rail and the different groups that we work closely with on a day to day basis. 

To find out more about the Community Rail Network, please click here. 

As mentioned in the introduction to this newsletter, we are really keen to find out what you think about the current level of engagement that you receive from us here in the stakeholder team.

If you could take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey below, it would be greatly appreciated. The responses will not be shared externally and will help us to sculpt the way in which we communicate with you. 

Please click on the button above to access the survey, we really appreciate any feedback or comments that you are able to share with us. 

Thanks to those of you who have already submitted your feedback following the release of the survey in February. We are collating the responses and will look into the different feedback that we receive to improve the work that we carry out as a team and as a company. 

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this month's newsletter. If you have any questions or require any assistance, please feel free to email the Southern Region Stakeholder Team at SouthernRegionStakeholders@networkrail.co.uk