East Sussex railway delays explained

Southern Rail first reported the issue at around 4.30am on Tuesday (March 31).

A post on X (formerly Twitter) read: “Due to a fault with the signalling system between Seaford and Lewes, services running between these stations will either be cancelled or revised.”

The train company advised that lines were temporarily blocked between Newhaven Town and Seaford. Stations including Newhaven Town, Newhaven Harbour, Bishopstone and Seaford were left without train services, with journeys either cancelled or significantly revised.

Commuters were urged to seek alternative routes, with replacement options including Brighton & Hove bus services linking Seaford, Newhaven and Brighton. However, travellers were warned these buses did not directly serve all affected stations, meaning some passengers faced longer and more complicated journeys, including changes via Brighton.

Southern advised allowing an extra 20 to 30 minutes for travel.

Additional disruption affected those heading further afield, including passengers travelling towards Gatwick Airport and London, who were told to re-route via Brighton using alternative Southern, Thameslink or Gatwick Express services.

By 4.50am, Network Rail engineers were on site working to fix the signalling fault, while some passengers at smaller stations such as Southease were instructed to seek assistance via station help points as replacement transport was arranged.

The situation improved quickly, with all lines reopening by 5.30am. However, Southern warned that those already using alternative routes should continue their journeys as planned while services returned to normal.

By 6am, the operator confirmed the disruption had fully cleared and no further trains would be affected.

Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more may be eligible for compensation through Delay Repay: https://www.southernrailway.com/help-and-support/delay-repay-compensation