Rail passengers travelling through Redhill over Christmas and New Year will need to use replacement buses under a planned closure running from Sunday 20 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 inclusive. Network Rail says the work will renew more than a mile of track and install new switches and crossings as part of a £31.7 million Southern-region investment programme.
Trains will continue to run on the railway’s fast lines, but services that pass through Redhill station itself will be replaced by buses during the closure. The changes will affect several local stations and routes linking Surrey with London, Sussex and Gatwick Airport. Passengers are being advised to check their journey before travelling because the available train and bus arrangements vary by operator and date.
Stations served by buses
Earlswood, Redhill, Merstham, Coulsdon South, Nutfield and Godstone are listed as having no trains during the affected period, with buses serving them instead. Southern services between London Victoria and Reigate will not run. Trains between Redhill and Tonbridge will operate only between Edenbridge and Tonbridge, with buses covering the affected section.
Southern’s replacement-bus arrangements include services between Reigate and Redhill or Edenbridge, between Purley and Redhill, Reigate or Horley, and between Redhill and Edenbridge. Some buses will also call at Edenbridge Town. Selected Southern trains between London Victoria and the Sussex coast are expected to make additional calls at Purley and Horley.
Thameslink trains will not run between Purley and Horley via Redhill. Replacement buses are planned between those stations on days other than 25 and 26 December, calling at Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill, Earlswood and Salfords as well as Purley and Horley.
Great Western Railway services from Reading and Guildford will terminate at Reigate rather than serving Redhill or Gatwick Airport. Replacement buses are planned between Reigate and Gatwick Airport, while passengers travelling from Redhill are directed to use Southern replacement buses to connect at Reigate. The detailed operator arrangements include some exceptions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so passengers should check their specific date and route.
What the engineering work involves
The principal renewal at Redhill involves installing new switches and crossings along more than a mile of railway. These components allow trains to move between tracks. Two sections of track will also receive new rail, sleepers and ballast, materials that support the track and help maintain its condition. The work is intended to improve reliability and reduce the need for future maintenance.
Further activity is planned between Merstham and Redhill. This includes inspections and routine maintenance, replacement of worn track timbers, testing rails for internal defects and minor repairs. Signalling equipment, including signals, track circuits, points, equipment cabinets and level crossings, will also be maintained.
The closure provides an extended period for the work to be completed together rather than through multiple weekend closures. Network Rail describes the wider Christmas package as a £31.7 million investment in the Southern region’s railway network; that figure covers the regional programme, not solely the Redhill track renewal.
Access near the station will also change
Parking at Redhill station will be very limited. Car park 2 is scheduled to close from 20 December to 4 January 2027 for use as a work-site compound. The car park at the front of the station is due to close from late on 17 December until the end of 3 January to support preparations for, and operation of, replacement buses.
The subway between Marketfield Way and Redstone Hill, which passes beneath the railway, is also due to close from shortly after midnight on 20 December until shortly after midnight on 29 December. The closure is to allow track work to take place safely.
Although fast-line trains will continue through the area, that does not mean every route through Redhill will retain its normal service. Passengers should allow extra time for bus transfers and check for updates closer to departure, particularly when connecting with services to London, the Sussex coast or Gatwick Airport.
