London Brighton during weekend closure early Jan 2025

[bakerstreet]

Friend is travelling from London to Brighton around 10/11 Jan.

There is a closure meaning replacement bus service between East Grinstead and three Bridges if travelling from, say, London Bridge.

Put in Victoria to Brighton, and services only by rail with one change at Gatwick Airport appear. However, this is “unavailable to buy” so perhaps this has been placed incorrectly in the timetable feed. (This via the Railboard app).

Is there any way of avoiding the rail replacement bus even if via a more circuitous route?

There are disability issues in the party and the train, even if via a longer route, and with more changes, would be easier than a part bus.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Anything to do with the London Victoria to Gatwick Airport, then Gatwick Airport to Brighton legs essentially doubling back on the section between Three Bridges + Gatwick Airport and then back through Three Bridges towards Brighton? Presume split tickets can be bought to allow the journey to still be made entirely by rail.

 

[Horizon22]

Friend is travelling from London to Brighton around 10/11 Jan.

There is a closure meaning replacement bus service between East Grinstead and three Bridges if travelling from, say, London Bridge.

Put in Victoria to Brighton, and services only by rail with one change at Gatwick Airport appear. However, this is “unavailable to buy” so perhaps this has been placed incorrectly in the timetable feed. (This via the Railboard app).

Is there any way of avoiding the rail replacement bus even if via a more circuitous route?

There are disability issues in the party and the train, even if via a longer route, and with more changes, would be easier than a part bus.

If it’s any consolation, in my experience the rail replacement at Three Bridges is quite a well oiled machine by GTR with very regular buses able to sufficiently manage the throughput.

The GTR advice is as follows

A direct, but diverted, Southern train service will run, with extended journey times, between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, calling at Clapham Junction only.

Trains will run between London Bridge and East Grinstead to an amended timetable, connecting with direct buses to and from Gatwick Airport / Three Bridges.

Trains will run between Gatwick Airport and Bognor Regis / Portsmouth Harbour.

You could go Brighton to Barnham/Ford (1) then to Gatwick (2) and then to Victoria (3) if you wanted a solely by train journey but that will be more changes and no doubt a lot slower.

 

[Horizon22]

Anything to do with the London Victoria to Gatwick Airport, then Gatwick Airport to Brighton legs essentially doubling back on the section between Three Bridges + Gatwick Airport and then back through Three Bridges towards Brighton? Presume split tickets can be bought to allow the journey to still be made entirely by rail.

journey planners don’t offer it direct but if you split it this works as Thameslink appear to have split their service there and running a little shuttle

1. Brighton to Three Bridges (Thameslink) - example 10:44 - 11:18
2. Three Bridges to Gatwick (Thameslink) 11:51 - 11:55
3. Gatwick to Victoria (Southern) 12:14 - 13:27

The timings seem to have been deliberately timed to discourage journeys by train (missing the connection at Three Bridges by a minute or two).

Southbound though it seems to offer the Thameslink service from Gatwick direct!

For the OP, I’d suggest buying each leg separately.

 

[Sealink]

Friend is travelling from London to Brighton around 10/11 Jan.

There is a closure meaning replacement bus service between East Grinstead and three Bridges if travelling from, say, London Bridge.

Put in Victoria to Brighton, and services only by rail with one change at Gatwick Airport appear. However, this is “unavailable to buy” so perhaps this has been placed incorrectly in the timetable feed. (This via the Railboard app).

Is there any way of avoiding the rail replacement bus even if via a more circuitous route?

There are disability issues in the party and the train, even if via a longer route, and with more changes, would be easier than a part bus.

.
Weirdly one app allows me to book Victoria to Brighton with a change at Gatwick, although it's charging £30.10 for the privilege.

Yet another ticketing app, called ChooChoo

 

[dastocks]

journey planners don’t offer it direct but if you split it this works as Thameslink appear to have split their service there and running a little shuttle

1. Brighton to Three Bridges (Thameslink) - example 10:44 - 11:18
2. Three Bridges to Gatwick (Thameslink) 11:51 - 11:55
3. Gatwick to Victoria (Southern) 12:14 - 13:27

The timings seem to have been deliberately timed to discourage journeys by train (missing the connection at Three Bridges by a minute or two).

Southbound though it seems to offer the Thameslink service from Gatwick direct!

For the OP, I’d suggest buying each leg separately.

I think you will find that the Thameslink services between Brighton and Three Bridges are actually running through to Gatwick. They are in the timetable as separate trains so the online journey planners don't offer them as an option.

Taking an example from RTT for 11 Jan:

Brighton-Three Bridges d 0958 a 1931 arrives Platform 2
Three Bridges-Gatwick d 1034 a 1038 departs Platform 2

 

[Horizon22]

I think you will find that the Thameslink services between Brighton and Three Bridges are actually running through to Gatwick. They are in the timetable as separate trains so the online journey planners don't offer them as an option.

Taking an example from RTT for 11 Jan:

Brighton-Three Bridges d 0958 a 1931 arrives Platform 2
Three Bridges-Gatwick d 1034 a 1038 departs Platform 2

Yeh I gathered they would be (can't run southbound if they don't run northbound!) and they've severed the connection in journey planners, presumably to reduce overcrowding.

 

[bakerstreet]

Thanks everyone, this is very useful knowledge. Much appreciated.

 

[Bikeman78]

Yeh I gathered they would be (can't run southbound if they don't run northbound!) and they've severed the connection in journey planners, presumably to reduce overcrowding.

Overcrowding on what? The diverted Victoria to Gatwick trains? Previous discussions have concluded that they were only overcrowded on one particular day following an incident which blocked the line. The baby has since been thrown out with the bathwater to the extent that they don't even open the doors at Horsham. Various observations have shown that the trains are nowhere near full. They could easily reduce them to eight cars and still seat everyone.

 

[Horizon22]

Overcrowding on what? The diverted Victoria to Gatwick trains? Previous discussions have concluded that they were only overcrowded on one particular day following an incident which blocked the line. The baby has since been thrown out with the bathwater to the extent that they don't even open the doors at Horsham. Various observations have shown that the trains are nowhere near full. They could easily reduce them to eight cars and still seat everyone.

Yes, but I don't know - it's just a theory. As it is, most journey planners are not advertising the through journeys, so you might get a different loading if they were.

 

[westcoaster]

I think you will find that the Thameslink services between Brighton and Three Bridges are actually running through to Gatwick. They are in the timetable as separate trains so the online journey planners don't offer them as an option.

Taking an example from RTT for 11 Jan:

Brighton-Three Bridges d 0958 a 1931 arrives Platform 2
Three Bridges-Gatwick d 1034 a 1038 departs Platform 2

We had this before, on arrival into Three bridges the same train continues forward on a different headcode.