Lines reopened: disruption between Uckfield and Oxted until approximately the end of the day on Thursday 10 September 

Route(s) affected

Between Uckfield and East Croydon / London Bridge

Description

Following an operational incident earlier today between Uckfield and Oxted, lines between these stations have now reopened.

Whilst services recover, trains may still be cancelled or revised.

This is expected until approximately the end of the day on Thursday 10 September.

Customer advice:

An operational incident on the railway in the Ashurst area has caused a points failure, significantly disrupting service on this route.

You will need to use an alternative route and allow for at least an extra 45 minutes longer than usual to complete your journey.

This is expected to affect services tomorrow, with trains running once every two hours from Uckfield to London Bridge, and from London Bridge to Uckfield.

Rail replacement services have been confirmed, and journey planners for tomorrow, 10 September, will be updated by this evening, once there is confirmation from the train planning team.

If you are travelling this evening:

The following trains are scheduled to run as booked, but may be delayed during their journey between Oxted and Uckfield.

From London towards Uckfield:

• 16:07 London Bridge to Uckfield, which calls at Oxted at 16:36

• 18:07 London Bridge to Uckfield, which calls at Oxted at 18:36

• 20:07 London Bridge to Uckfield, which calls at Oxted at 20:36
  

From Uckfield towards London:

• 17:32 Uckfield to London Bridge

• 19:33 Uckfield to London Bridge

• 21:33 Uckfield to London Bridge

Please note that no other trains will run on this route this evening.

Rail replacement buses will continue to run between Oxted and Uckfield until the end of the day, as advertised in journey planners and station information boards.

Ticket acceptance:

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

• Southeastern services between Tunbridge Wells and London

• Alternate Southern and Thameslink services between East Grinstead / Lewes / Haywards Heath / Three Bridges and London

• Thameslink services between Haywards Heath / Three Bridges and London

• Brighton & Hove bus routes 29 / 29B / 29X between Brighton, Lewes, Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells

Replacement buses:

Rail replacement buses are running between Uckfield and Oxted and journey planners have been updated to include the timings. The buses will run at the following times:

• XX:33 past the hour from Uckfield to Edenbridge Town

• XX:54 past the hour from Edenbridge Town to Oxted

• XX:36 past the hour from Oxted to Crowborough

• XX:57 past the hour from Crowborough to Uckfield

Travelling via replacement bus will take longer than usual. It is recommend leaving at least 30 minutes more time to complete your journey.

Planning your journey:

You can see live departure boards, a live map of the network, and 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 Southern app will also help you plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

An operational incident has caused a points failure in the Hurst Green area, and this was preventing trains from travelling on this route between Uckfield and Oxted.

Points are moveable sections of track which can send trains onto different routes at junctions. These are part of the signalling system, generally managed by Network Rail.

Points can stop moving correctly for a number of reasons. For example, there may be an obstruction in the moving parts, or the electronic control systems may have developed a fault.

There are various backup systems which allow signallers to try to "set" the points, and in some cases, the points may be available for trains in one of the directions they serve, but not another. However, with more severe failures like this one, the route is blocked entirely.

Network Rail have sent their specialist Signalling and Telecoms teams to site as a priority, and they will set up a safe method of working on the track. As soon as it's safe to go on the line, they will diagnose the fault and find any quick solutions to resolve it.

Whilst this is being done, progress will be monitored closely. At times, replacement parts may be needed, or specialist advice from suppliers, which is why some points failures take longer to resolve than others.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey for today using the National Rail real-time Journey Planner. For journeys on Thursday 10 August journey planners will be updated by this evening.

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.