Disruption between Brighton and Hove expected until 20:30 

Route(s) affected

Between Brighton and Hove

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Brighton and Hove means that trains have to run at a reduced speed on all lines. As a result, services running between these stations may be delayed or revised.

This is expected until 20:30.

Customer advice:

You may need to change trains to complete your journey. Please allow at least an extra 30 minutes to reach your destination.

Service alterations:

Services that run between Brighton and Havant are subject to last minute alterations.

Trains that usually run between Brighton and Portsmouth & Southsea are suspended until further notice. You will need to use an alternative Southern service to reach your destination. If you need to use an alternative train, please allow an extra 30 minutes to reach your destination.

Please check station information boards and online journey planners for the latest travel information.

Ticket Acceptance:

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

• Alternative Southern services between Portsmouth and Brighton

Please check station information boards and online journey planners for the latest travel information.

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?

Track circuits are part of the signalling system and are used to detect where trains are on the railway. If one fails, the signalling system may show that a section of track is occupied even when there isn’t a train there. This means signals protecting that section will remain at red and trains cannot proceed normally.

Trains may still be able to run, but drivers will need to stop before the affected section and request verbal permission from the signaller before continuing past the red signal. They must then travel at a reduced speed so they can stop safely should they see anything ahead of them.

This takes longer than usual and can cause trains to queue behind one another. In severe cases, services may need to be cancelled, revised or diverted to prevent delays from building up across the wider network.

Network Rail signalling specialists are investigating the fault and will work to repair the affected equipment. Once the fault has been fixed and the signalling system is working normally, trains will be able to run at normal speeds again and the scheduled service can begin to recover.

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.