MORE staff will be installed at Brighton Station to reduce delays and cancellations.
Network Rail has agreed to create a 4.1 million fund to directly benefit passengers after being threatened with a fine for its poor planning of upgrades.
In August the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) announced it could impose a financial penalty of 2 million on Network Rail in the wake of severe disruption at London Bridge station.
The ORR has now accepted an offer to avoid its fine in return for creating a fund for passengers on Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express services.
Network Rail said this will lead to extra staff at stations served by those operators, including 15 more at London Victoria.
There will be improvements to information displays at stations and 20 new track workers based at Brighton and Croydon to respond quickly to problems.
The company is also deploying up to four times more security patrols at stations in Sussex in a bid to reduce delays caused by trespassers.
Chaotic scenes at London Bridge made headlines in December 2014 and the problems continued into this year.
The ORR found that NR had “failed to engage adequately” with train operators over the impact improvement work would have on passengers.
This led to Southern and Govia Thameslink Railway missing punctuality targets for commuter routes serving London Bridge last year.
The operators accounted for a third of delays and almost half the cancelled and significantly-delayed services in England and Wales.
Network Rail managing director Phil Hufton said: “Passengers expect and deserve a high standard of service, and we accept that we fell short for those travelling on Southern and Thameslink services last year.
“Since then we have invested 11 million to improve the railway around London Bridge and elsewhere in the region, and performance has increased as a result.
“This extra 4 million will continue the improvements we have already made and it is good news for passengers that the ORR has recognised this as a positive and practical alternative to a fine.”
Work to renovate London Bridge station and the railway around it is due to be completed in 2018.
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