Lines reopened: disruption between Havant and Chichester expected until 18:30 

Route(s) affected

Between Southampton Central / Portsmouth & Southsea and Brighton, between Portsmouth Harbour / Portsmouth & Southsea and Horsham, and also between Portsmouth Harbour / Portsmouth & Southsea and London Victoria

Description

Following an earlier fault with barriers at a level crossing between Havant and Chichester, lines are now open and trains have to run at a reduced speed. Whilst services recover, trains running through these stations may still be cancelled, delayed or revised.

Disruption is expected until 18:30.

Customer advice:

If you are travelling between Havant and Chichester, you can now use your normal route. Please continue to allow an extra 15 minutes to complete your journey, as services remain subject to delays and short-notice revisions while we work to get trains and crew back into their scheduled positions.

A number of services that were held during the line closure have been diverted to terminate at or start from Bognor Regis to help manage congestion. Please check live departure boards and listen carefully to station announcements before boarding.

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?

Earlier this afternoon, a barrier fault at a level crossing near Fishbourne prevented trains from operating across the roadway.

Because level crossings are directly interlocked with railway signalling, a detected barrier fault forces signals to danger to prevent trains from entering the crossing.

Network Rail response engineers attended the site, assessed the barrier mechanisms, and completed the necessary safety checks to confirm that the crossing is safe for train movements.

With the line now open, trapped trains have begun moving again. To prevent extensive gridlock and recover the wider timetable, controllers have diverted several services to terminate at Bognor Regis.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail 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.