Disruption to Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink services today  

Route(s) affected

Services across Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink networks

Description

A number of incidents are causing disruption to Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink services. Trains across these networks will be subject to cancellations, delays and revisions.

This is expected to be the case for the remainder of the day.

Customer advice:

Earlier today, safety inspections of the track were taking place between Preston Park and Haywards Heath.

A signalling problem has also been causing disruption at East Croydon, and this has occurred again.

As well as delays, some trains will not complete the whole of their normal journeys. There will also be some cancellations. You may need to change trains to get to your destination.

Journeys between the South Coast, East Croydon and London may take around 20 minutes longer than usual, but this is not an exact estimate. It will depend exactly which route you are using, and some delays will be less significant.

Please see below for the full list of changes.

Service changes:

The changes below will apply in both directions on each route. There will also be some other short notice changes, and it is recommended you check the online journey planning tools.

Gatwick Express services:

Some trains may still be cancelled or revised to only run on part of their normal route.

Southern services:

Trains from London Bridge towards East Croydon (via Tulse Hill) will be amended, and are likely to finish their journeys at Selhurst. Trains heading north to London Bridge (via Tulse Hill) will start from Selhurst instead of East Croydon, or will be cancelled.

Trains from Watford Junction to East Croydon will finish their journeys at Selhurst. Trains heading north to Watford Junction will start from Selhurst instead of East Croydon.

To help you complete your journey, trains on the route between Reigate and London Victoria will stop additionally at Selhurst in both directions.

Thameslink services:

Trains between Brighton and Cambridge will be suspended. This will remain the case all day.

Trains between Brighton, Three Bridges and Bedford will still run, and there will also be trains between London Kings Cross and Cambridge (London Kings Cross is a 2 minute distance from London St Pancras International). Some trains will also stop additionally at Ashwell & Morden.

Alternative journey options:

You can use your ticket interchangeably between Southern, Thameslink or Gatwick Express services on any reasonable route.

However, this will also depend on which trains are available, based on the above service changes.

You can also use the following at no extra cost:

• London Buses serving stations between the Croydon area and London Bridge (if asked by the bus driver, please give reference PrePay 827)

• London Trams between East Croydon and West Croydon

• Alternative Southern and London Overground (Windrush line) services between West Croydon and Central London

• London Underground services across London on any reasonable route

• Great Northern services between London Kings Cross and Cambridge

Please check whether a train is running on your normal route before you take an alternative route, as using a different route may also take longer than usual.

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.

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

Airport journeys:

If you are travelling to Gatwick Airport to connect with a flight, please leave plenty of extra time.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Staff have been working with Network Rail to investigate a possible issue with the track in Clayton Tunnel, south of Hassocks, as well as a report of potential flooding in the Patcham area, which is nearby. Checks have now been completed, and trains can run normally through these areas, but both problems have caused major congestion.

In addition, an earlier signalling problem has returned, causing delays and service changes at East Croydon. Network Rail technicians are also investigating this 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.