Multiple signalling faults, ill passenger and tree at Sussex station cause rail disruption
Rail passengers across Sussex have faced a series of disruptions.
On Monday morning (June 29), Southern Rail reported a signalling fault, between Havant and Chichester. A post on social media, at 5.50am, warned that services in both directions would be subject to delays and cancellations.
Passengers were advised to allow an additional 20 minutes for their journeys, with some needing to board earlier trains or change services en-route.
By 6.10am, Southern confirmed the fault had been repaired and trains were once again able to run normally between the two stations. However, some services remained cancelled or revised while timetables recovered.
Just under two hours later, at 7.55am, Southern reported a second signalling fault, this time between Bognor Regis and Barnham.
The operator said fewer trains were able to run on all lines, with services to and from the stations expected to be delayed by up to 10 minutes or revised until 10am.
The Bognor Regis to Barnham shuttle service was suspended, with passengers advised they may need to use different Southern services to complete their journeys. Existing tickets were being accepted on alternative Southern trains between the two stations.
Southern said the disruption was caused by a failure affecting track circuits, which are used to detect trains on the railway. When a circuit fails, the signalling system may incorrectly indicate a section of track is occupied, requiring train drivers to stop at red signals and obtain permission to proceed at reduced speeds while Network Rail investigates the fault.
The latest disruption follows a separate incident on Sunday afternoon, when a passenger taken ill on a train at Southwick disrupted services towards Hove.
The line was affected from shortly after 2.15pm, with Southern warning journeys could take up to 15 minutes longer than usual. The line reopened at around 2.30pm, before services returned to normal by 2.45pm.
Meanwhile, photographs taken at Worthing station – shortly after 1pm on Sunday – appeared to show a tree brought down near the railway, with platform one temporarily closed.
We have contacted Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) for a statement on the incident at Worthing station.