Lines reopen after landslip near Gatwick Airport

Train lines have reopened following a "significant" landslip between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport in West Sussex.

The landslip on the Brighton Main Line first occurred on 27 January at Tinsley Green after heavy rainfall.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) says it has now completed the first phase of repairs, meaning Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink are able to run most of their services on Thursday.

Some services between Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport may still be cancelled and delayed, but the aim is to have a full service available from Friday, GTR said.

Gatwick Express and Thameslink say they will run a normal service on Thursday, with some Thameslink trains stopping additionally at Coulsdon South and Merstham in both directions.

There will be no direct Southern service between Redhill and Gatwick Airport, so fewer trains than usual will stop at Earlswood, Salfords, and Horley.

While the first phase of work saw engineers install a six-metre-long section of steel piles at track level, the second phase will be carried out from the bottom of the embankment.

The slope of the embankment will need to be rebuilt with new material added to the earthworks, a GTR spokesperson said.

A full service is expected to run during this phase, they added.

Network Rail's Sussex route director, Lucy McAuliffe said: "Repairing this landslip now will stop it getting worse."

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