The line between Lewes and Haywards Heath stays shut until further notice after Thursday's derailment. Buses via Cooksbridge and Plumpton, London via Brighton, and how refunds and Delay Repay work.

Three days after a Southern train derailed just outside Lewes, the railway between Lewes and Haywards Heath remains closed, and National Rail says the closure will last “until further notice” while the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Network Rail and Southern examine the train and the track. There is no reopening date. Southern has said it will publish the plan for Monday 17 August onwards on Sunday evening, so anyone commuting on Monday should check again before leaving.

A Southern train came off the rails just outside Lewes at about 3.55pm on Thursday 13 August, according to Network Rail and Southern’s joint statement. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was called at 3.55pm and had ten fire engines, technical rescue units and a command support unit at the scene, helping to reach passengers and lead them to safety. South East Coast Ambulance Service said there were around 150 people on board; two suffered serious injuries and, after further assessment, a total of 18 patients were taken to hospital. More than 50 ambulance staff attended at the peak, including both of the service’s hazardous area response teams.

Lewes Town Council thanked British Transport Police, Sussex Police, the fire service and the ambulance service, and noted that residents opened Landport Community Hub as a rest space for passengers who did not need hospital treatment. Mayor Adrian Ross called it “a dreadful incident” and said the council’s thoughts were “with everyone on the train, especially those who were seriously injured”. The council asked people to follow official updates from the police and Southern rather than speculation about the cause.

What is running, and what is not

Every line between Lewes and Haywards Heath is shut. That severs the direct route from Lewes to London Victoria and the Cooksbridge and Plumpton stops. Trains between Lewes and Brighton, and along the coast to Seaford, Newhaven, Polegate and Hastings, are running, and Southern has added extra carriages to Brighton to Hastings and Brighton to Seaford services where it can.

Diagram of the Lewes rail disruption on 16 August 2026: the line between Lewes and Haywards Heath is closed with replacement buses calling at Cooksbridge and Plumpton; trains run between Lewes, Brighton and Seaford, and London is reached by changing at Brighton; a separate landslip at Polegate means buses between Polegate and Eastbourne
Graphic by The Lewes Post.

For the closed section, the arrangements published by National Rail and Southern on Sunday morning are:

  • Rail replacement buses run between Haywards Heath and Lewes, calling at Cooksbridge and Plumpton. Southern’s advice is to allow at least 60 minutes of extra journey time this weekend.
  • For London, go via Brighton. From Lewes take a train to Brighton (about 14 minutes) and change there for London Victoria or London Bridge. Coming back, change at Brighton for Lewes.
  • Tickets are accepted at no extra cost on Gatwick Express and Southern between Brighton and London Victoria, on Thameslink between Brighton and London Bridge, on Southeastern between Hastings and the London terminals, and on the Underground between London terminals.
  • Eastbourne is a separate problem. A landslip near Polegate is stopping trains reaching Eastbourne, so replacement buses run between Polegate and Eastbourne. Anyone heading to the Eastbourne Airshow is told to travel via Brighton and Polegate.

Refunds and Delay Repay

Southern’s derailment FAQ page sets out the rules, and some of them are stricter than people assume:

  • If your train is cancelled you can either claim a full refund from wherever you bought the ticket, or travel on a service up to two hours before or after your booked train. A cancelled-day ticket cannot be used on a different day.
  • Advance tickets for next week cannot be refunded until the train is actually cancelled; Southern will not authorise travel on a different service until the timetable is confirmed. You have 28 days after a ticket expires to claim.
  • You can claim either a refund or Delay Repay, not both. Delay Repay applies if you completed your journey and arrived 15 minutes or more late. Keep your ticket and a note of the journey.

The investigation

Network Rail’s Sussex route director, Lucy McAuliffe, said the line “is likely to remain closed while the emergency response continues and specialist teams carry out the complex task of assessing damage to the train and infrastructure”, and that the RAIB was on site. A second derailment near Wickford in Essex on Friday 14 August prompted a further Network Rail statement from group safety and engineering director Martin Frobisher, who asked people not to speculate about causes, said Network Rail would run its own internal investigation alongside RAIB’s, and pointed to “unprecedented hot and dry weather” this summer, which has meant closer monitoring of track temperatures and speed restrictions where needed. He also said reports of bumpy journeys are always followed up with an inspection.

Neither statement gives a cause, and this article does not speculate on one. RAIB publishes its investigation notices and reports on gov.uk; as of Sunday morning nothing on Lewes had been posted there. We will report the formal announcement when it comes.

What it means for you

  • Monday commuters: Southern promised Monday’s plan on Sunday evening. Check the National Rail disruption page or the Southern app before you leave. Until the line reopens, assume Lewes to Victoria means a change at Brighton and roughly an hour longer than usual, or a bus to Haywards Heath.
  • Cooksbridge and Plumpton: replacement buses only. Check station signage for the pick-up point.
  • Driving instead: the Church Lane works in Lewes run to 10 September and Hereward Way car park is closed, so station-area parking is tighter than usual. Our Lewes train times page has the normal timetable for when service resumes.
  • Season ticket holders should keep a note of the days affected for Delay Repay claims.
  • The recovery of the carriages and repair of the track will bring lorries and heavy plant into the area near the station and Cooksbridge Road for some time; the fire service said it expected “quite a lot of work in the area over the coming period”.

Sources