Lewes railway repairs nearing completion as Network Rail confirms reopening remains on track

Friday, 28 August 2026 12:00

By Philip Keeler

Rail carriage being lifted near Lewes - Credit: Network Rail

Work to repair the railway between Lewes and Haywards Heath is nearing completion following the derailment earlier this month.

Network Rail says more than 80 per cent of the restoration programme has now been completed, with passenger services still expected to resume on Tuesday, 1 September.

In its latest update on Thursday, 27 August, Network Rail confirmed that work to repair and restore the railway remains on track to be completed over the Bank Holiday weekend ahead of the planned reopening.

Engineers have been rebuilding the railway embankment, installing replacement track and repositioning signalling equipment following the derailment on Thursday, 13 August.

The recovery operation has involved creating temporary foundations and working platforms for heavy equipment, using specialist Kirow cranes to recover the derailed vehicles and removing damaged track and ballast.

Network Rail says around 500 metres of track will be renewed and 850 sleepers replaced across a 160-metre section of embankment.

Around 9,000 tonnes of aggregate have been delivered to the site, while four engineering trains and around 250 tipper truck journeys have been used during the operation.

At least 5,000 hours of work have also been carried out by teams from Network Rail, GTR and their contractors.

Network Rail says extensive testing and final safety checks will be completed before passenger trains are allowed to return.

The line between Haywards Heath and Lewes has been closed since the derailment, with replacement travel arrangements in place for passengers.

Network Rail and Southern Railway have previously confirmed that the route is planned to reopen to passenger services on Tuesday, 1 September.

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