Disruption between Littlehampton and Chichester expected until 18:30 

Route(s) affected

Between Littlehampton and Chichester

Description

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Littlehampton and Chichester all lines are blocked. Train services running to and from these stations will be delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 18:30.

Customer Advice:

Trains running between Littlehampton and Ford will take longer than usual to travel through this area, and will be subject to cancellations or changes.

Services changes are now in place and you may need to travel on a different train to normal, or change trains at an intermediate station to complete your journey.

Passengers can travel to Angmering and change for an alternative services towards Barnham and Chichester

If you are travelling along this route this afternoon, you should allow at least 20 minutes longer to complete your journey and it may be quicker to travel using an alternative route.

Ticket acceptance on alternative routes:

Your ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on the below:

• London Underground on routes towards your destination including between London Terminals

Planning your journey:

Live departure boards can be viewed, as well as a live map of the network.

You can also see an alternative route guide.

If you're travelling in the London area, you can plan journeys on alternative routes by using the TfL Journey Planner.

The Southern app will also help you plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

This part of the network uses track circuits to detect the position of trains. These are electrical systems which monitor whether a train is on a section of track. They operate as part of the signalling system, which is designed to be "fail safe".

When a track circuit fails, the signalling system will interpret this as a train remaining in place, even though there may not be a train present at all, or the previous service may have long since left the area.

As a result, further trains cannot be automatically allowed onto the relevant section of track. Train drivers will be stopped by red signals on approach. They will then get verbal permission from the signaller so that they can proceed, and will run at a heavily-reduced speed as far as the next signal. This is so that the drivers will stop safely if they see anything ahead of them.

In some areas, the sections between signals can be several miles long, so this can result in delays building up. Even with shorter sections of track affected, there would still be a delay of at least a few minutes to each journey.

Track circuit faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults or obstructions on the track. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including track circuits, and their staff will be investigating as quickly as possible.

Check before you travel:

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

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.