Disruption between Ashford International and Hastings expected until 11:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Ashford International and Eastbourne

Description

There is a fault with the signalling system between Ashford International and Hastings, meaning that trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines.

As a result, trains running between these stations may be delayed by up to 30 minutes, cancelled or revised.

This is expected to cause disruption until 11:00.

Customer advice:

If you are travelling between Ashford International and Hastings you may need to use an alternative service to complete your journey. Your journey may be delayed, cancelled or altered at short-notice.

Your journey may take longer than normal and you should allow an additional 30 minutes extra to reach your destination.

For the latest information, check station screens and use our online journey planners.

Ticket Acceptance:

Your ticket may be used at no extra cost on the following:

• Southeastern services between Ashford International and Hastings via Tonbridge

Replacement buses:

Southern have requested buses from their suppliers, but we haven't had confirmation of these yet.

If it's possible to provide a bus service, we'll let you know by updating this message.

Bus journeys will take longer than your usual train journey on this route, if possible, we'll provide a time estimate here.

Planning your journey:

For help planning your journey, check live departure boards, view a live network map or see alternative route guides.

If you’re travelling within London, you can use the TfL Journey Planner.

Stay up to date on the move with Southern’s WhatsApp channel. Live updates are available Monday to Friday, 07:00–21:00.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Track circuits are part of the signalling system and are used to detect where trains are on the railway. If one fails, the signalling system may show that a section of track is occupied even when there isn’t a train there. This means signals protecting that section will remain at red and trains cannot proceed normally.

Trains may still be able to run, but drivers will need to stop before the affected section and request verbal permission from the signaller before continuing past the red signal. They must then travel at a reduced speed so they can stop safely should they see anything ahead of them.

This takes longer than usual and can cause trains to queue behind one another. In severe cases, services may need to be cancelled, revised or diverted to prevent delays from building up across the wider network.

Network Rail signalling specialists are investigating the fault and will work to repair the affected equipment. Once the fault has been fixed and the signalling system is working normally, trains will be able to run at normal speeds again and the scheduled service can begin to recover.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail real-time Journey Planner.

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.

You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.

Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.