Sussex Stakeholder Newsletter - June 2025
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Good afternoon and welcome to Network Rail Sussex & South London’s June stakeholder newsletter.
With the summer solstice on the horizon, our teams are hard at work delivering a better, more reliable railway. Over the recent bank holiday, we completed a packed schedule of improvements — including drainage upgrades, refurbishment of switches and crossings, and the replacement of track and points.
Looking ahead, we’re preparing for a planned line closure between Redhill and Tonbridge from Saturday 16 August to Monday 25 August 2025 to carry out essential works. Stay tuned for updates on the major lift upgrade coming to Sutton station, as well as the latest on our ongoing drive to build a greener, more sustainable railway.
I hope you enjoy this edition and if we can be of any assistance, do get in touch with us via SouthernRegionStakeholders@networkrail.co.uk where we will be very happy to help.
Yours sincerely,
Laura Rondón Public Affairs Manager
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A busy late May bank holiday weekend
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We’ve been busy over the last couple of bank holidays improving your railway as part of our £900 million Sussex Rail Upgrade Plan.
From Saturday 24 to Monday 26 May, we undertook drainage works on the Crowborough and Markbeech tunnels to maintain the line between Oxted and Uckfield.
We also repaired the Edenbridge tunnel, refurbishing switches and crossings – also known as points - at Ashurst and laid over a kilometre of new rail at Edenbridge Town on the line. On Sunday 25 May, engineers also undertook track maintenance work and laid new rails between Three Bridges and Horsham. |
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We also continued our work rebuilding the busy railway junction at Battersea Pier, just outside London Victoria, over the early May Bank Holiday. As well as replacing track and points, the work included laying around 6km of new signalling and telecommunications cables
Bank holidays have always been key for rail maintenance since the Victorian era. At a time when freight made up most of the traffic, closed factories meant the bank holiday was a perfect time to do work. |
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Forthcoming Redhill to Tonbridge temporary line closure
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From Saturday 16 August to Monday 25 August 2025, there will be a nine-day closure of the line between Tonbridge and Redhill to allow for critical engineering work
Buses will replace trains from Saturday, 16 August to Monday, 25 August 2025 as we work to renew 13 miles of high voltage power cables, protect the track from landslips, replace worn-out rails near Edenbridge and undertake maintenance works to improve the resilience of railway structures and equipment.
The renewal of 13 miles of high voltage (12,000 volt) feeder cables will take place between Nutfield and Leigh and will provide a more stable power supply to all the electrical systems on this section of the track. We will also remove the old, decommissioned cables. |
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Near Edenbridge, where landslips have caused significant disruption to rail services in recent years, the railway embankment will be strengthened with approximately 360 metres in total of sheet pile wall, sheets of steel welded or interlocked and driven into the ground, either side of the track. The sheet pile wall will be further strengthened with 226 long soil nails, 9m long steel nails driven into the ground.
Elsewhere along the line, 11 bridges will undergo detailed structural inspections and 200m of rail will be replaced at Godstone.
For more information visit - Edenbridge Embankment Works - Network Rail |
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Sutton is getting a major lift upgrade!
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Passengers at Sutton station can look forward to new, more reliable lifts, as Network Rail starts to replace them in June. The existing lifts have been in use since 2001 and are becoming increasingly unreliable. Our engineers will start work on Monday 16 June, with the new lifts expected to be in use by the end of September.
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All three lifts will be taken out of service at the same time. By using this approach, the work can be completed in approximately 12 weeks—much faster than replacing them one at a time, which could have taken up to nine months.
While the works are taking place, our advice for passengers who cannot use stairs and need lift access to and from the platforms is to use an alternative local station with step free access such as Carshalton or Cheam — local TfL buses connect Sutton to these nearby stations. Accessible taxis can also be organised to or from Sutton to or from another nearby accessible station. |
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Going solar for a greener railway
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Network Rail has signed a first-of-its-kind deal with EDF Renewables to power Britain's mainline railway stations using solar power. 64GWh of clean energy will be provided at a fixed cost every year for the next 14 years.
This will provide about 15% of the electricity needed to power our offices, depots and all 20 Network Rail managed stations, including London Victoria station and London Bridge.
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The Stockton & Darlington Railway opened to passengers on September 27 1825, and from this humble beginning the railway spread, connecting communities across the nation. In honour of this historic day, 2025 will be Railway 200, a year-long nationwide campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and inspire a new generation to look to its future.
This year, we’re looking to celebrate the rich history of the railway in our route, whether that be historic stations, key figures from the past or interesting titbits, so please have a think about the railway in your local area and get in touch if you’d like Network Rail to help you celebrate.
Further information about Railway 200 can be found on the dedicated website. |
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Network Rail has launched a new national recruitment drive, focussing on maintenance roles. There are a variety of positions open to entry level candidates, from Operative and Technician, right through to Team Leader.
Whether ensuring tracks and wider rail infrastructure are in good safe working condition, or carrying out complex diagnostics to monitor system performance, maintenance specialists are essential to delivering a safe and reliable railway network in Britain. This includes over 20,000 miles of track and thousands of signals, levels crossing and bridges.
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This maintenance recruitment drive is part of the wider industry celebrations for Railway 200. We want to inspire people to think about a career in rail and become the pioneers of tomorrow.
We believe in the power of potential. No skills or qualifications are required – we’re looking for individuals who are eager to learn and grow with us.
Help us spread the word! To find out more visit https://www.networkrail.co.uk/campaigns/powering-the-everyday/
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Don't forget to secure your tickets!
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July is nearly here! Don’t forget to book your tickets for the Inspiration visit to the Bluebell Railway, running from 23–29 July.
Explore rail’s past, present, and future through interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and fascinating insights into the science, engineering, and hidden roles behind the railway.
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Tickets are now available to book for visits from 27 June to 1 October. The itinerary for the rest of 2025 and first six months of 2026 will be confirmed this summer. Click here to secure your tickets and discover more about this unique experience visit.
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Volunteering Opportunities
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As part of Railway 200, Network Rail is seeking volunteering opportunities across the Sussex route to support our Community Rail Partnerships, station adoption, community and voluntary groups.
If you have any projects that require volunteers, we would be happy to share these internally and coordinate support from our Network Rail colleagues. |
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Digital Lineside Notifications
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We are continuing our drive to promote this new and innovative way of informing residents who live near the railway about our work and projects.
As part of our ‘Digital Notification’ programme, neighbour notification letters will where possible be replaced by emails. |
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Thousands have already signed up in the southern region, and we would really appreciate your support in helping us stay in touch with our neighbours and communities.
If you haven't already done so, we’d be grateful if you could share this link or the QR code on the right through your communications channels. This will help our ambitions to keep everyone informed of our work in their local area. |
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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
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