Sussex to benefit from more trains as new timetable revealed

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is introducing a new timetable from Sunday, December 10 – giving passengers ‘more trains to choose from’.

"In response to requests from the local communities of Preston Park and Hassocks, their stations will gain six morning peak services into London and six returning evening peak services,” a GTR spokesperson said.

"These will be provided by Thameslink trains between Brighton and Cambridge making additional stops. The morning trains will leave Brighton five minutes earlier than currently, to maintain London arrival times.

"For commuters at both stations, the change means a doubling of morning peak services to London Bridge and the Thameslink core, and of the evening peak return services, from two to four per hour.”

GTR said, at Newhaven Harbour, trains between Brighton and Seaford will provide an hourly service all day, ‘stepping up to half-hourly at busier times’.

"This means an almost three-fold increase from 18 to 53 services per day, meeting new demand for this growing area of Newhaven and improving connections with the ferry terminal,” the spokesperson added.

"Glynde and Berwick residents wanting to spend evenings in Brighton will be able to stay out an hour and a half longer. The last train from Brighton to Eastbourne on weekdays and Saturdays – the 11.32pm service – will now stop additionally at Glynde and Berwick. Currently the last train serving these stations leaves Brighton at 9.56pm.”

One further change is to meet the increasing morning demand for Horsham to London Victoria services via Sutton and Hackbridge.

Southern will lengthen the 8.17am from Horsham from five to eight carriages, in line with the eight or ten-carriage trains running ‘during the remainder of the morning peak’.

Several ‘particularly popular’ Saturday trains on the route have also been lengthened recently, from five to eight or 10 carriages.

Jenny Saunders, GTR’s customer services director, said: “We’re constantly listening to our passengers and local communities, and these improvements are designed to meet demand where they tell us it’s needed most, help communities grow, and attract new customers to rail.”