LONG suffering passengers are set to receive a boost with the restoration of all Southern Railway services axed as part of the revised timetable introduced earlier this year.

The company said it planned to restore 34 West Coastway services to destinations such as Hove, Bognor, Barnham and Worthing next Monday (October 24), along with the full West London Line timetable.

A further 46 services would be brought back on to the timetable on October 31 when services between Brighton and Southampton and Hastings and Ashford will return.

This will complete the restoration of all Southern services removed as part of the revised timetable introduced earlier this year.

Charles Horton, chief executive of GTR, Southern’s parent company, said in a statement: "I’m delighted for our passengers that we will be restoring more services to the timetable.

"This is what our passengers deserve and I thank them for their patience during what has been a difficult time for everyone.

"Clearly the industrial relations issues we have are, regrettably, continuing, but we are pressing ahead with our plans and are committed to delivering a better service for everyone."

However the company announced 33 Gatwick Express services would not return until December 12 as part of autumn leaf-fall arrangements.

The company said this would help reduce congestion and possible delays on the Brighton mainline route.

As part of planning for the leaf-fall period, weekday Southern and Gatwick Express services arriving or departing from London Victoria or London Bridge may have their journey times extended by between one and three minutes.

Weekday Thameslink trains on the Brighton mainline from Three Bridges to Brighton and from Brighton to London Bridge will also have their journey times extended by up to three minutes.

Mr Horton added: "Challenging conditions during the autumn mean that train services across the country become vulnerable to poor weather and slippery rails, compromising performance and certainty for passengers.

"We, like other train operators in the UK, are taking steps to reduce the risk of disruption during the period."

Details on changes to train times are now in the National Rail journey planner at nationalrail.co.uk