NETWORK Rail has announced it will be switching on “a modern, more reliable state of the art signalling system to reduce train delays during a four-day closure of the railway in the Lewes area from Thursday, March 7 to Sunday, March 10.

Rail services between Brighton and London will run as normal but there will be no Southern trains west of Eastbourne via Lewes as far as Falmer and Wivelsfield.

This will not affect Brighton and Hove Albion fans for any matches because they are only paying away during that peiod, against Crystal Palace on Saturday, March 9.

Buses will replace trains at over 10 stations, journeys will take longer, there will be fewer trains between Eastbourne and Hastings, and services will be busy.

Paul Harwood, director of investment for Network Rail South East, said: “Our work to upgrade the Lewes to Seaford line will bring it up to modern standards, make it fit for the future and provide passengers with more reliable journeys.

“We know closing the line for four days is difficult for passengers and their journeys and while the Friday to Sunday are generally quieter days of the week, unfortunately the scale and type of work requires four consecutive days to make these improvements.

“This upgrade is in addition to the £67 million we have already spent on upgrading the railway in the wider Brighton area.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience and remind them to please check before travelling.”

Keith Jipps, Infrastructure Director for Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway, added: “Our key objective while Network Rail carry out this work is to reduce the impact on passengers as much as possible.

“We will have buses where our trains can’t run, ticket acceptance with local buses, Thameslink and Southeastern, and extra staff ready to help.

“Passengers should travel outside the peak times where possible and allow more time for their journey.”