Incident resolved: major disruption to / from Portsmouth Harbour expected until the end of the day 

Route(s) affected

Great Western Railway between Portsmouth Harbour and Cardiff Central

South Western Railway between Portsmouth Harbour and London Waterloo

Southern between Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton / London Victoria

Description

The emergency services have now safely dealt with the earlier incident nearly the railway in the Portsmouth & Southsea area. This has allowed all lines running to / from Portsmouth Harbour to reopen.

Until service recovers, trains may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

Please check before you travel as some trains may start / terminate from a different station along this route.

Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

A visual disruption map video is available.

Customer advice for Great Western Railway:

If your train is cancelled, you may travel on either of the two services before, or two services after, your original train. If these are peak services or less flexible, you can still travel with your original ticket, at no extra cost.

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

• Stagecoach bus routes as follows:

  • 13: Portsmouth (Hard Interchange), Portsmouth & Southsea (Station Street), Fratton (Fratton Bridge)

  • 18: Fratton (Fratton Bridge), Cosham (Interchange)

  • 20 and 23: Portsmouth (Hard Interchange), Portsmouth & Southsea (City Shops South), Cosham (Interchange)

• First bus routes as follows:

  • X5: Southampton (WestQuay Stop BI), Fareham station

  • X4: Southampton (WestQuay Stop BI), Fareham station, Portsmouth (Hard Interchange Stop G),

  • 1: Portsmouth (Hard Interchange Stop F), Portsmouth (Guildhall Stop B), Fratton (Fratton Bridge),

  • 2: Portsmouth Harbour (Hard Interchange), Portsmouth & Southsea (Guildhall), Cosham (Interchange),

  • 3: Fareham (Bus Station), Cosham (Health Centre), Portsmouth (Guildhall), Portsmouth (Hard Interchange),

  • 7: Portsmouth (Hard Interchange), Portsmouth & Southsea (City Shops South), Cosham (Interchange)

  • 8: Portsmouth (Hard Interchange Stop G), Portsmouth (Guildhall), Cosham (Health Centre) route

• Bluestar route 4: Southampton Central (Stop SB), Romsey bus station

Customer advice for South Western Railway:

How do I get to my destination?

If you are travelling towards Portsmouth from London you should travel to Havant and change for local buses to your destination.

If you are travelling from Portsmouth towards London you should use local buses (listed below) to Havant and change for a train towards London.

If you are travelling on the line between Portsmouth and Southampton in either direction please use local buses (listed below).

Your ticket can be used, at no extra cost, on the following services:

• Southern between London Victoria and Havant in both directions

• Stagecoach bus routes 18, 20, 21, 23 and 700 in the Portsmouth area

• First bus routes 1, 2, 3, X4, X5, 7 and 8 between Portsmouth area and Southampton area

• Bluestar bus routes 3, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20 in the Southampton area

• First bus Rail Air 2 between Woking and Guildford

Because your journey has been heavily disrupted, you can book your own taxi and claim the cost back through the South Western Railway website. This applies to travel between any stations served by South Western Railway between Portsmouth and Woking. You will need to provide the following details to make a claim:

• Your full contact details

• The time and date of your journey

• The stations you travelled to and from

• A detailed description of the series of events that took place

• Copies of your train ticket/s and taxi receipt

If you need any help with your journey, please speak to a member of staff or use a station help point.

Customer advice for Southern:

The line to Portsmouth has reopened. Services to / from Portsmouth and Southampton Central continue to be subject to delays and alterations.

If you're travelling now, you will need to allow at least 30 minutes additional time to complete your journey

The first train from London Victoria to run through to Portsmouth will be the delayed 19:37 from Havant. This will form the 20:01 service from Portsmouth Harbour to London Victoria, which will be the first service to run out of Portsmouth.

You should listen to announcements and check station screens for the latest information.

If you're travelling between Portsmouth, Havant, and Southampton, it may be quicker to use your ticket at no extra cost on South Western Railway services between Southampton, Havant, and Portsmouth.

While Southern services are being reintroduced on the lines to/from Portsmouth, it may still be quicker to travel by local bus in stead. You can use your ticket on the below at no extra cost:

• Stagecoach 18 between Portsmouth and Cosham

• Stagecoach 20 between Portsmouth, Havant, and Cosham

• Stagecoach 21 between Portsmouth and Hilsea

• Stagecoach 23 between Portsmouth, Cosham, and Havant

• Stagecoach 700 between Portsmouth and Chichester

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. We know where you are and are working to get you moving as soon as possible.

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.

Planning your journey

You can view live departure boards and also a live map of the network. This will show where your journey is likely to be affected.

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

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.