Disruption between Arundel and Horsham expected until 08:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Portsmouth Harbour and Horsham / Three Bridges / London Victoria, between Portsmouth & Southsea / Southampton Central and Horsham, between Bognor Regis and Horsham / London Victoria / London Bridge, and also between Havant and London Victoria

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Arundel and Horsham means that trains have to run at a reduced speed on some lines. As a result, trains running between these stations may be delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 08:00.

Customer advice:

Due to a fault with the signalling system, your journey may be subject to delays, cancellations or alterations at short notice.

You can currently continue to travel using your normal route, however please allow up to 20 minutes additional journey time.

For the latest information, please check station screens and use online journey planners before and during travel.

Changes to services:

There will be no splitting of trains at Horsham. Services will run complete through to Bognor Regis. The Portsmouth Harbour portions will be cancelled. If you are travelling to / from Portsmouth Harbour, please change at Barnham for additional Southern services.

London Victoria to Portsmouth services will now terminate at Horsham. The complete train will then run forward towards Bognor Regis. London Victoria to Bognor Regis return service will now start from Bognor Regis.

Services between Brighton and Southampton Central / Chichester will call additionally at the missed station stops south of Barnham.

These services changes may increase your journey time by at least 20 minutes. Please allow extra time to complete your journey.

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?

Axle counters are part of the signalling system and are used to detect where trains are on the railway. They count train wheels as they enter and leave a section of track, allowing the signalling system to confirm when that section is clear.

If an axle counter fails, the signalling system may show that a train is still in the area even when the section of track is clear. This means the 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 get permission from the signaller before passing the red signal. They must then travel at a reduced speed so they can stop safely if 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.

Ticket flexibility:

If your train is cancelled, you will be able to travel on an alternative service operated by any other participating train company, either two hours before or two hours after the original departure time of the cancelled service, in order to reach your destination.

If you decide not to travel or cannot complete your journey due to cancellations, you are entitled to a full refund from your original point of sale.

For further information and guidance please contact your train company or speak to a member of railway staff.

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.