Lines reopened: disruption between Eastbourne and Hastings expected until 16:00 

Route(s) affected

Between London Victoria / Brighton and Ore, and also between Eastbourne and Ashford International

Description

Lines have now reopened following a safety inspection of the track at Eastbourne.

While service recovers, trains running between may Eastbourne and Hastings may still be cancelled or revised.

This is expected until 16:00.

Customer advice:

Southern are working on recovering the scheduled service, but travelling now may still take longer than usual. It is recommended that you leave at least 60 minutes more time to complete your journey.

The first trains to run are the:

• 14:50 Eastbourne to Ashford International service

• 15:24 Ashford International to Eastbourne service

If you're travelling to / from Hastings and Ashford International, you can use Southeastern services via Tonbridge to reach your destination.

For stations between Hastings and Rye, you can use Stagecoach routes 100 and 101 to reach your destination. For connections between Rye and Ashford International, please speak to station staff or press the green button on the help point.

For stations between Eastbourne and Hastings, you can use Stagecoach routes 8, 53, 98 or 99 to reach your destination.

For the latest information, please check station boards or the online journey planners.

Ticket Acceptance:

You can use your existing ticket at no extra cost on the following services:

• Southeastern services between Hastings and Ashford International via Tonbridge

Stagecoach Bus routes:

• Route 53 between Eastbourne, Polegate and Bexhill

• Route 98 between Bexhill, St Leonards Warrior Square and Hastings

• Route 99 between Eastbourne, Pevensey Bay and Hastings

• Route 8 between Eastbourne, Hampden Park and Pevensey Bay

• Route 100 between St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings and Rye

• Route 101 St Leonards Warrior Square, Hastings and Rye

If you're currently travelling or using an alternative route, please allow at least an extra 60 minutes to complete your journey.

For the latest information, please check station boards or the online journey planners.

Replacement buses are in operation:

Some replacement buses have been resourced, so you may be able to use these to get to your destination.

These buses will operate on the following routes:

• Ashford International to Hastings, calling at:

  • Ham Street

  • Appledore

  • Rye

  • Winchelsea

  • Ore

Where possible, schedules for these buses will be shown on journey planners, so you can see the next services from your station. If not, they'll be under the control of local station teams.

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?

Network Rail was carrying out a safety inspection of the track between Eastbourne and Hastings following a report of a possible problem in the area.

As a precaution, trains were not running through the affected area until the track has been inspected. This is to make sure the railway is safe before trains are allowed to run again.

With the line closed, trains needed to be cancelled, revised or diverted. This can also affect services beyond the area where the inspection is taking place, as it may take longer for trains and crew to arrive in the right place to run their next scheduled service.

Ticket flexibility:

If your train is cancelled, you will be able to travel on an alternative service operated by any other participating train company, either two hours before or two hours after the original departure time of the cancelled service, in order to reach your destination.

If you decide not to travel or cannot complete your journey due to cancellations, you are entitled to a full refund from your original point of sale.

For further information and guidance please contact your train company or speak to a member of railway staff.

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.