THE MAIN rail line connecting Brighton and London has reopened today following a nine-day closure.

Engineers worked to rebuild Copyhold Junction near Haywards Heath, which controls the movement of trains in out of Ardingly freight branch and Brighton.

More than 1,000 metres of track were replaced in the hope it will increase the speed of the line and help service recovery when delays occur.

Work continued throughout Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin, which battered Sussex with strong winds last week.

The £15 million engineering works have been planned in a bid to tackle delays for Southern and Thameslink passengers.

Workers also upgraded several embankments to reduce the risk of landslips.

Network Rail said the nine-day closure would allow it to “work around the clock” and cause less disruption than conducting the work over weekends and evenings.

The line was closed between Three Bridges, Brighton and Lewes from Saturday 19 to Sunday February 27.

Katie Frost, route director for Network Rail, told The Argus: “The Brighton mainline is not only some of the oldest infrastructure in the country, but also some of the most heavily used and that is why it’s so important we are doing these works.

“Closing the railway for nine days will deliver the passengers the benefits a lot quicker, it’s a lot less disruptive overall and it’s also greater value for money as well."

Photos released by Network Rail showed the extent of the work, including replacing.

During the lengthy closure, Southern and Thameslink customers were forced to use rail replacement buses.

The Brighton mainline will also be closed for further works on March 5 and March 6, as well as Sunday, April 3.

The work is all part of the wider Sussex Upgrade programme, which is investing more than £750 million from 2019 to 2024 to improve the railway for passengers.

Work on the Arun Valley line was completed in August last year and saw a mixture of upgrades and maintenance across 120 different sites.

It included rebuilding the railway junction at Horsham and refurbishing several stations including Crawley and Billingshurst.