Southern Rail: Delays to trains in West Sussex amid speed restriction

A speed restriction at Ford means trains could be cancelled, delayed or revised, Southern Rail has announced.

The issue means trains which travel from Portsmouth and Bognor Regis towards London Victoria may attach at Barnham instead of Horsham. This could result in fewer departures on the part of the route from Barnham towards Horsham.

Trains which run as a shuttle service between Barnham and Bognor Regis have been suspended, but other services will still run on this route, the rail service said.

Delays are expected to last until 7.30pm.

Late-running trains may be unable to stop at all the usual stations en route, or may not complete their full journeys, Southern added.

A spokesperson for Southern Rail said: “We've had a report of a possible issue with the track in the affected area. Network Rail's engineers are attending as quickly as possible to carry out a detailed inspection.

“There are various different types of defects, and the first advice usually comes from drivers or other staff travelling through the area.

"Response staff will check the location which has been specified and find out whether the track is still supported correctly, whether the rails themselves are in the usual condition, and if there are any problems with the fixings and metalwork which attach the rails to the sleepers.

“Until this is done, trains will need to run at a much slower speed than usual, which will lead to a delay to your journey.

"This is a necessary safety precaution and we'd like to thank you for your patience.”