Lines reopened: disruption at Gatwick Airport expected until 15:00 

Route(s) affected

Gatwick Express between Brighton and London Victoria

Southern between Hastings / Ore / Eastbourne / Bognor Regis / Littlehampton / Portsmouth Harbour / Reigate / East Croydon and London Victoria, and also between Uckfield / Caterham / East Croydon and London Bridge

Thameslink between Brighton / Haywards Heath / Three Bridges / East Grinstead and Bedford, between Brighton and Cambridge, between East Grinstead and London Bridge, and also between Horsham and Peterborough

Description

Lines have now reopened following a trespass incident at Gatwick Airport. However, whilst service recovers, trains running through the station may still be delayed by up to 25 minutes, cancelled or revised.

Disruption is expected until 15:00.

Customer advice:

If you are travelling to / from Gatwick Airport you may need to allow an extra 15 minutes to complete your journey today.

Please check station screens, listen to announcements and use journey planners to help you reach your final destination.

Planning your journey:

You can check your journey using the live departure boards, and you can view 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 Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink apps will also help you plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A trespass incident was reported in the Gatwick area.

As soon as trespassing is known about, the speed of trains in the area is reduced, as it's not safe to run services at their usual speeds when someone is on the track. Sometimes, trains need to be stopped entirely. Emergency services and Network Rail responders will be attending to make sure the person is removed.

Trespassing on the railway is very dangerous. Trains run all day, every day - whether passenger trains, freight trains or specialist engineering work machines. It's not possible to be sure that you can hear when a train is coming, and in many cases, you won't see a train until it is very close to you.

In many areas, trains are powered by an electric third rail, which carries a dangerous electric current. There are also other electrical systems and cables, slippery surfaces, steep drops and other hazards.

Network Rail manage the railway infrastructure, and they're working hard to educate everyone about these dangers and prevent people from accessing the track.

As well as the dangers, trespassing on the railway is also illegal, and obstructing the railway can carry severe penalties.

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.