Lines reopened between Eastbourne and Hastings / Ashford International: disruption is expected until 21:30 

Route(s) affected

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

Description

The emergency services have completed their work following an earlier incident where a person was hit by a train. This has allowed all lines between Eastbourne and Hastings to reopen. Whilst service recovers, trains may still be delayed by up to 60 minutes, revised or cancelled.

All stations between Pevensey & Westham and Bexhill will not be served.

Disruption is expected until 21:30.

A visual disruption map video is now available

If you've been affected by what happened on the network today, there is always someone to talk to. You can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 from any phone for a confidential chat.

Customer advice:

Some trains can now begin to run between Eastbourne and Hastings.

Southern are working to return to the scheduled timetable, but please continue to check journey planners and station information boards before you travel. Some trains in the area will still be disrupted, and your journey may take at least 30 minutes longer than usual.

You may still need to use an alternative route to reach your destination.

The expected service:

The first expected services through the area will be:

• 16:26 Brighton to Ore, which calls at Eastbourne at 17:10 and Hastings at 17:36

• 18:13 Hastings to Eastbourne

• Trains which run between London Victoria / Brighton and Ore will instead run between London Victoria / Brighton and Pevensy & Westham

• Trains which run between Eastbourne and Ashford International will be suspended until further notice

Some trains may still run according to the earlier service plan:

• Trains between London Victoria / Brighton and Ore may instead run between London Victoria / Brighton and Pevensy & Westham

• Trains between Eastbourne and Ashford International may not run

Southern have requested rail replacement buses for Pevensey & Westham, Hastings, and Ashford International; however, these have not yet been confirmed by their suppliers. Once we have more information, journey planners will be updated to allow you to plan your journey.

Currently, a limited number of buses have been confirmed for Pevensey & Westham, running towards Hastings. Further buses for Ashford International and Hastings have been confirmed and are en route to the stations now.

If you're waiting on a train which is delayed between stations:

If your train is delayed between stations, please stay on board and listen for updates. You can also ask staff if you need more information.

For your safety, please don’t leave the train unless instructed. Other trains may still be running, and the tracks can be very dangerous. If the area has an electric third rail, it stays live even during delays and looks just like the other rails.

You can use your ticket to travel at no extra cost on:

• Southeastern between Hastings, Tonbridge and London Bridge, and also between Ashford International and Tonbridge

• Stagecoach buses on any route between Polegate, Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hastings and Rye, and also between Ham Street and the Ashford area

• Brighton & Hove Buses on Routes 12, 12A and 12X between Brighton, Newhaven, Seaford and Eastbourne, and also on routes 29 and 29A between Brighton and Lewes

Please note that if your journey includes replacement road transport, it may take up to an additional 40 minutes to reach your 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.

You can also use the Southern app to find up-to-date information.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Southern are working with Network Rail and the emergency services to deal with this incident as sensitively, quickly and safely as possible.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries 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 set-down 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.