Complex sentence: The branch line with its costly viaducts and tunnel never paid its way, being twice as long as the equivalent journey by road, the LB&SCR closed the line to passenger traffic as early as 1917, temporarily as it turned out, reinstating the services in 1919.
Split into simpler sentences: The branch line with its costly viaducts and tunnel never paid its way, being twice as long as the equivalent journey by road. The LB&SCR closed the line to passenger traffic as early as 1917, but only temporarily, reinstating the services in 1919.