PLANS for a second Brighton to London rail route have been dismissed by the government and Network Rail – just months after the announcement of a £100,000 study into re-opening a stretch of railway that forms part of the scheme.

BML2 would see the restoration of rail links between Uckfield and Lewes, providing a direct route from Eastbourne to London via Uckfield.

It would relieve pressure on the Brighton to London line and build a new rail link between Uckfield and Brighton via Falmer.

Campaigners say BML2 would also significantly boost trade and tourism in Brighton and Hove and beyond.

But Network Rail and the Department for Transport both told The Argus they have no intention of pursuing BML2 in the near future – even though Chancellor George Osborne pledged money for a feasibility study into re-opening the Lewes to Uckfield line in March’s budget.

A few days before the General Election, the Chancellor tweeted: “We’ll start a feasibility study into Brighton Main Line 2, speeding up journeys and relieving congestion for the south coast.”

Despite this, the Department for Transport told The Argus yesterday that BML2 was “not a priority” while Network Rail said re-opening the Uckfield to Lewes line for BML2 would provide “slower, unattractive journeys to Brighton and would not serve the major conurbations on the route, at Haywards Heath, Gatwick and Crawley”.

Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove, said the study is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money given the new position of the government and Network Rail.

He said: “My issue is that the Chancellor has pledged support for it and he’s not going to make good on it. The truth is the wheels are coming off promises to sort out transport problems. If he turns his back on his promises made before the election then they are just pledges to buy votes. Commuters deserve more.”

The message from government contradicts the intentions of Sussex’s Conservative MPs, the majority of which visited rail minister Claire Perry just weeks ago to press their case for BML2.

The news comes as a blow to thousands of commuters who travel from Sussex to London every day for work – including those who frequent Southern Rail’s 7.29 from Brighton to London Victoria, which The Argus revealed in January was late every day last year.

ML2 advocate Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “It’s disappointing that the Department for Transport doesn’t think BML2 is a priority. It’s got the potential long term to really make a difference to local residents.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: “We have previously recommended that the trackbed of the former Uckfield to Lewes line be safeguarded for the future, and our position on that has not changed.

“The section of the route between East Croydon and Windmill Bridge Junction is the busiest section of railway in Britain and it is vital that we tackle that first.”