Most train services on the busy Brighton Main Line have resumed after the first part of work to repair a major landslip between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport were completed ahead of schedule.

It is hoped the remainder of services will operate as normal from tomorrow, Friday, 7th February. Before they can restart, however, trains will need to be moved to their normal service positions.

The landslip was caused by substantial rainfall on the afternoon of 27th January. Since then, Network Rail engineers have been working 24/7 to repair the damage, which affected a 30-metre stretch of the railway line.

The landslip occurred on the busy main line between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport, leading to one of the four tracks being blocked and disrupting train services and causing inconvenience to passengers.

Work began on Monday morning to install 59 six-metre-long steel piles, and engineers have also installed a steel beam to the back of the sheet pile wall, and attached anchors into the ground beneath the track.

A second phase of work is required to complete the work, but that will be carried out from the bottom of the embankment away from the track. This will involve restoring the slope of the embankment by adding new material to the earthworks. That work will not affect train services, and a full service is expected to run while it is being carried out.

There is never a good time to close any tracks on a railway line, but this landslip needed to be repaired as soon as possible to keep everyone safe. It was a challenging site to work on, but the work was completed and the line re-opened sooner than envisaged. Network Rail teams will remain on-site in the coming weeks, but train services will continue to run.

Landslips are not confined to the national railway network, as at the end of January a serious landslip closed part of the Severn Valley Railway, leaving the track impassable by trains, but through a mutual agreement, Network Rail has offered to assist the railway with repairs.

“The Brighton Main Line is a key artery, carrying thousands of passengers between the coast and the capital, and Network Rail has done a great job getting it fully open again. Most of the services we had to amend are already back in place and we’re working hard to get trains back in position across the network to restore the last few for Friday morning. We’ll have the latest information on our websites so please keep checking online before you travel.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway