Lines reopened: disruption between Hastings and St Leonards Warrior Square expected until the end of service 

Route(s) affected

Southern between Ashford International / Hastings and Eastbourne, and also between Ore and Brighton / London Victoria

Southeastern between Hastings and Tonbridge / London Charing Cross

Description

Lines have now reopened following a trespass incident at West St Leonards. However, whilst service recovers, trains running between Hastings and St Leonards Warrior Square may be revised.

Disruption is expected until the end of service.

Southeastern customer advice:

What's happened?

Trespasser at West St Leonards. The trespasser is now in the care of BTP.

How does this affect my journey?

The power will be turned back on shortly and trains will be on the move again.

What should I do?

Please allow more time to complete your journey.

Alternative routes:

For details of alternative routes that may be available to complete your journey, please refer to our Alternative routes during disruption maps.

How can I stay up to date?

You can follow Southeastern on Twitter (X) @SE_Railway or follow the Southeastern WhatsApp channel.

Southern customer advice:

Services are currently unable to run through the Hastings area.

For the latest information, you should check station screens, listen to announcements, and use journey planners.

Planning your journey:

You can check your journey using the live departure boards, and you can view a live map of the network.

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.

The Southern app will also help you plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A trespass incident has been reported in the Hastings area.

In this case, Southern needed to stop trains entirely, as it's not safe to run services past the person. Emergency services and Network Rail responders are attending to make sure the person is removed.

Trespassing on the railway is very dangerous. Trains run all day, every day - whether passenger trains, freight trains or specialist engineering work machines. It's not possible to be sure that you can hear when a train is coming, and in many cases, you won't see a train until it is very close to you.

In many areas, trains are powered by an electric third rail, which carries a dangerous electric current. There are also other electrical systems and cables, slippery surfaces, steep drops and other hazards.

Network Rail manage the railway infrastructure, and they're working hard to educate everyone about these dangers and prevent people from accessing the track. You can see their latest safety campaigns here.

As well as the dangers, trespassing on the railway is also illegal, and obstructing the railway can carry severe penalties.

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.