Footbridge to be removed at Hampden Park railway station for refurbishment works
The footbridge at Hampden Park railway station is to be removed for refurbishment works, Southern Rail has confirmed.
It said from Saturday, February 7, until mid-April, there will be no footbridge available at Hampden Park station.
Over the weekend of February 7 and 8, the bridge span that runs over the railway tracks will be removed by crane.
A spokesperson for Southern Rail said: “To facilitate this, on Sunday, February, 8, no trains will run through the station, with replacement buses running between Polegate, Eastbourne and Hastings. More information on this closure can be found on our planned works calendar.
“The footbridge will be taken away by road so that the specialist refurbishment can be carried out safely, well away from the area.
“While the bridge is removed so that it can be refurbished off-site, there will be no footbridge available within the station to get between the platforms.
“To cross between the two platforms at the station, you will need to use an alternative walking route, at street level, via the nearby level crossing on Brassey Avenue/Mountfield Avenue and Station Approach. This involves a walk of approximately 330m.
“Signs will be in place to show you the alternative walking route.”
Southern Rail confirmed that once the refurbishment works have been completed off-site, the bridge will be brought back and reinstalled, using a specialist crane over a weekend in early April.
The Southern Rail spokesperson added: “Because there will be no footbridge within the station, changing between trains at Hampden Park will take longer than usual, as you will need to leave the station and use the alternative walking route.
“Journey planners are still showing usual connection times between trains, which may not be possible, given the additional time needed to get from one platform to the other. You will need to allow plenty of additional time and plan accordingly.
“Because of this, we strongly advise that you avoid changing trains at Hampden Park. If you need to change trains, please use Eastbourne instead.
"To facilitate the removal and reinstatement of the footbridge span, there may be times when the station car park will need to be closed, or the number of spaces temporarily reduced. We will provide information on this page once the details are confirmed and will also display information at the station.
“We know that the station footbridge is informally used by some local residents to get across the railway tracks, from one side of the station to the other. During the footbridge works, this route will not be available. You will have to use the alternative walking route via the level-crossing.”