Disruption between Clapham Junction / Streatham and Sutton expected until 20:00 

Route(s) affected

Southern between London Victoria and Epsom Downs / Epsom / Dorking (Main)

Thameslink between London Blackfriars and Sutton

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Clapham Junction / Streatham and Sutton means that some lines are blocked. As a result, trains running between these stations will be revised.

Disruption is expected until 20:00.

Customer advice:

There are multiple incidents currently affecting the routes into Sutton.

Services that run between Sutton and Clapham Junction will be disrupted by a signalling failure. Trains will be diverted via West Croydon instead of via Mitcham Junction.

If you're travelling Northbound from Sutton and require stations between Carshalton and Wandsworth Common, you will need to use London Trams or London Buses to reach your destination, which you can use at no extra cost.

If you're travelling Southbound and require stations between Wandsworth Common and Carshalton, you will need to change at Clapham Junction and use London Buses to complete your journey, which you can also use at no extra cost

There is also a track circuit failure in the Streatham South Junction area which means Thameslink services that run from Streatham towards Sutton via Tooting are unable to run in either direction.

Trains that run towards Sutton can only run via Mitcham Junction. This means there are no services at:

• Tooting

• Haydons Road

• Wimbledon

• Wimbledon Chase

• South Merton

• Morden South

• St Helier

• Sutton Common

If you require any of the above stations you will need to use an alternate route.

You can use your ticket at no extra cost on:

• London Buses between:

  • Clapham Junction and Sutton

  • Sutton and London Blackfriars via Wimbledon

• London Trams between:

  • Sutton and Wimbledon

  • East Croydon and Sutton

• Alternative Southern and Thameslink services on any route from Sutton towards Clapham Junction / London

.If you're using an alternative route to normal, please leave at least 30 minutes to complete your journey.

Please ensure to check before you travel using our online journey planners and live departure boards for the latest information.

Planning your journey:

You can view live departure boards.

You can see a live map of the Southern network.

You can use 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 axle counter failure will disrupt your journey in the Sutton area.

This part of the network uses axle counters to detect whether trains are in the area. These are electrical systems which check the passage of train wheels and monitor whether a train is on a section of track. They operate as part of the signalling system, which is designed to be "fail safe".

When an axle counter fails, the signalling system will interpret this as a train remaining in place, even though there may not be a train present at all, or the previous service may have long since left the area.

As a result, further trains cannot be automatically allowed onto the relevant section of track. Train drivers will be stopped by red signals on approach. They will then get verbal permission from the signaller so that they can proceed, and will run at a heavily-reduced speed as far as the next signal. This is so that the drivers will stop safely if they see anything ahead of them.

In some areas, the sections between signals can be several miles long, so this can result in delays building up. Even with shorter sections of track affected, there would still be a delay of at least a few minutes to each journey.

Axle counter faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults and debris coming into contact with them. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including axle counters, and their staff will be investigating as quickly as possible.

There is also an Axel counter failure in the Streatham area which is stopping services running via Tooting in either direction.

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.