Rail Line Between Surrey And West Sussex Closed After Substantial Landslip

A railway line linking Surrey and West Sussex will remain closed until at least Friday following a landslip, according to Network Rail.

The slip occurred near Ockley on Friday afternoon, initially forcing the closure of one track.

With services already unable to use their usual route via East Croydon because of engineering works, the disruption has been compounded.

Network Rail says the line between Dorking and Horsham will be closed from the start of service on Monday until at least 30 January to allow urgent repair work to take place.

Train operator Southern says the landslip is “substantial”, with the affected track having “severely moved” as the surrounding earth shifted beneath it.

Engineers will use the closure to stabilise the embankment and repair the damaged rail.

During this time, buses will replace trains between Horsham and Dorking, while train services will continue to run from both stations.

No trains will serve Holmwood, Ockley or Warnham until the line reopens.

Network Rail’s route director, Lucy McAuliffe, apologised for the disruption, saying passenger and staff safety had to come first.

She said the decision to close the line was not taken lightly, but urgent action was needed to prevent the condition of the embankment from deteriorating further.

Passengers are being advised to check the Southern or National Rail websites for the latest travel information and ticket acceptance arrangements before travelling.