Gatwick Rail Link Closures, Three January 2026 Weekends

Published on Jan 7, 2026, 11:47 am CST

7 min read

Key points

Brighton Main Line engineering work closes rail sections near London Gatwick Airport on January 10-11, January 17-18, and January 24-25
No Gatwick Express trains run on these weekends, and Southern and Thameslink services are heavily amended
Rail replacement buses operate on multiple corridors, including links via East Grinstead, Redhill, and Three Bridges
A diverted Southern service runs between London Victoria and Gatwick with limited stops, typically only Clapham Junction
Great Western Railway North Downs Line journeys to Gatwick include bus substitutions on affected weekends

Impact

Airport Transfers: Transfers to London Gatwick Airport take longer due to rail closures and replacement buses
Missed Check In Risk: Tight airport arrival plans face higher risk when a train to bus connection is required
Higher Road Demand: Taxis, rideshares, and coaches may see higher demand and pricing during the closure windows
Regional Connectivity: South Coast and Surrey connections ripple into later arrivals, missed onward rail, and unplanned hotel nights
Rebooking Pressure: Alternative routings and later flights can sell out faster when rail capacity is constrained

Planned engineering work on the Brighton Main Line will shut key rail approaches to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) on three January weekends, forcing diversions and rail replacement buses. Passengers using Gatwick Express, Southern, and Thameslink services between central London and the airport are most exposed, along with North Downs Line travelers via Redhill and Reigate. Add buffer to any flight day transfer plan, and if you cannot absorb a longer surface trip or a missed last train, shift flights, stay near the terminal, or use a door to door coach or car.

The Gatwick rail link closures affect Saturday and Sunday, January 10 and January 11, Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and January 18, and Saturday and Sunday, January 24 and January 25. Across all three weekends, Network Rail says the Brighton Main Line is closed between Gatwick Airport and Purley or East Croydon, and the branches between Reigate and Redhill and between Redhill and Tonbridge are also closed. Train operators are using replacement buses on the closed segments, and Southern is routing a diverted service between London Victoria and Gatwick that calls only at Clapham Junction.

For travelers, the practical change is that many airport trips become a two stage chain, rail plus bus, with fewer train paths into the busiest arrival and departure periods. National Rail also frames the closure slightly differently by day, with Saturday impacts described north of Redhill from Purley, and Sunday impacts from East Croydon, which matters if you are choosing a hotel, a pickup point, or a fallback route for late night arrivals.

Who Is Affected

Travelers who normally rely on the nonstop airport branded Gatwick Express should plan as if it is unavailable on all three weekends. National Rail states that no Gatwick Express trains will run, and passengers should use alternative Southern services, typically with extended journey times. This hits hardest for early departures and late arrivals, when the usual direct train frequency is part of the safety buffer for flight delays, baggage delays, and long immigration queues.

If your route usually uses Thameslink through London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon, or St Pancras corridors, expect a break in the direct rail link between East Croydon and Gatwick. Thameslink's service update says no trains run on any routes between Gatwick and East Croydon or Purley during these closures, and it points travelers to replacement buses and to an alternate routing via East Grinstead to connect to bus links for Gatwick Airport or Three Bridges. If you are traveling from Brighton or the Sussex Coast toward London, the same advisory describes a pattern of using trains to Three Bridges, then switching to bus links via East Grinstead for onward London connections.

Passengers using the North Downs Line to avoid central London are also affected. National Rail says Great Western Railway journeys toward Gatwick include bus substitutions, with buses replacing trains between Reigate and Gatwick Airport on January 10 and January 11, and buses replacing trains between Guildford and Gatwick Airport on January 17 and January 18 and on January 24 and January 25. That introduces road traffic risk at the same time many other passengers are shifting from rail to road, which can amplify delays on the final approach to the terminal.

Second order pressure is likely around taxis, rideshares, and hotel inventory, especially near the airport for very early departures. In winter, planned rail constraints can also stack with weather disruption elsewhere in the UK network, so travelers should treat this as part of a broader resilience window, not a standalone rail notice, especially if they are also dealing with storm related impacts such as Storm Goretti UK Snow, Wind Risks for Travel Jan 8 to 9 or knock on rail disruption farther north like UK Snow Hits Scotland Rail, Airports January 5, 2026.

What Travelers Should Do

For flights on January 10 and January 11, January 17 and January 18, or January 24 and January 25, treat the airport transfer as a multi segment trip, and plan for the bus leg to be the weak link. A sensible starting point is to add 60 to 90 minutes versus your normal direct train plan, and to front load more time if you have checked bags, lounge access with a strict cutoff, or a long haul departure you cannot easily rebook.

If your itinerary depends on a tight connection, set a decision threshold in advance for rerouting. Rebook or reroute when a single missed connection would force an unplanned hotel night, or when you are on separate tickets with no protection, because replacement buses can fill, and recovery options can shrink quickly once road traffic builds.

In the 24 to 72 hours before travel, check operator service updates and the National Rail journey planner for your exact stations, and watch road conditions on the corridors the buses will use. If you pay with Oyster or contactless pay as you go, follow the operator guidance to tap only at the start and end of the journey, not during a mid journey rail to bus change, so you are charged correctly. If you are building a wider London itinerary, confirm how you will reach London Victoria, Clapham Junction, or East Grinstead before you commit to any timed tickets, and reference city logistics planning resources like London Travel Guide: The Ultimate 7-10 Day Itinerary for First-Time Visitors.

How It Works

The Brighton Main Line is the high frequency trunk between London and the South Coast, and it is also the core rail spine for Gatwick Express, Southern, and Thameslink airport access. When Network Rail needs more time than overnight maintenance windows allow, it schedules a weekend possession, closes specific track sections, and operators publish amended timetables and arrange replacement buses across the closed gaps. For these January weekends, Network Rail describes a package that includes track renewal, earthworks, drainage repairs, bridge maintenance, and new access points, and it also notes that buses will link Gatwick or Three Bridges to East Grinstead, where trains can continue toward London.

The first order impact is straightforward, fewer direct trains, more transfers, and longer journey times into the airport. The second order ripple is where many trips fail. Slower surface access pushes passengers to arrive earlier, which increases crowding in check in halls and security queues, and it shifts demand into hotel nights near the airport for early departures. At the same time, road mode substitution increases demand for taxis and coaches, which can raise prices and lengthen curbside waits, and that can further erode the buffer travelers were relying on.

The most resilient plan is the one that removes tight intermodal timing. Some travelers will do that by moving the flight to a weekday, or by switching to an airport whose access options better match their needs, such as London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for travelers who can rely on the Tube plus road alternatives. Others will keep the flight and remove rail dependency by staying near Gatwick the night before, then using a short shuttle or taxi on departure morning, and holding a realistic buffer for winter conditions even after the engineering work ends.