Southern Railway is to suspend direct off-peak weekday services between Eastbourne, Ore, and London Victoria from Monday, 14 September 2026, as the operator extends measures to protect tracks from damage caused by extreme weather.
The service reduction is a response to speed restrictions imposed by Network Rail following “prolonged extreme dry weather,” which has led to ground movement and track instability across parts of the South East. While the new weekday timetable changes primarily affect the East Sussex coast, Chichester and West Sussex passengers face significant immediate disruption this weekend due to related engineering works and ongoing speed limits on the Arun Valley line.
From Monday, off-peak travellers from Eastbourne and Ore heading to the capital will be required to change trains at Haywards Heath or Eastbourne. Southern has confirmed these measures are designed to maintain a more reliable, albeit reduced, service while the ground remains unstable.
Weekend closures for Chichester and Horsham
Before the new weekday timetable takes effect, passengers in the Chichester area must navigate a total closure of a key section of the Arun Valley line. On Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, buses will replace all trains between Horsham and Barnham.
For those travelling from Chichester to London Victoria this weekend, services are being diverted via Hove and Littlehampton. This diversion significantly increases journey times, and passengers are advised to check the latest Southern Railway engineering notices before starting their journey.
The Arun Valley line, which serves Chichester, has already been subject to targeted “protective” service reductions and speed limits prior to this latest announcement. Network Rail engineers are monitoring sections of the track where the clay-based embankment is prone to shrinking and cracking during dry spells, which can cause the rails to become misaligned if trains travel at full speed.
Alternative routes and travel advice
For the new weekday restrictions starting 14 September, the suspension of direct services is expected to cover off-peak windows.
Southern has provided the following guidance for affected passengers:
- To/From London: Passengers from the Eastbourne area should change at Haywards Heath for connecting services to London Victoria.
- Chichester Passengers: While direct weekday services to London via Horsham are currently scheduled to remain, they are subject to the same speed-restriction delays that have affected the route throughout the summer.
Officials have warned that until ground conditions stabilise following the summer heat, the speed restrictions must remain in place to ensure safety.
A spokesperson for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern, said the measures were necessary to prevent more significant, unplanned disruption that would occur if tracks were damaged by high-speed traffic during the current environmental conditions. No fixed date has been set for the restoration of the full direct off-peak service.