Southern Rail: Fire next to track near Eastbourne causes major delays

Southern Rail reported at 4.10pm that a fire near the track has disrupted services to and from the station.

Delays are expected until 5.30pm, Southern Rail added:

A spokesperson for Southern Rail said: “Trains may be delayed by up to 20 minutes.

“You can travel using your normal route but please allow some extra time for your journey.

"Delays are expected as trains need to run at a reduced speed.

“Due to knock on delays to services we would now recommend you allow an extra 20 minutes to complete your journey.

“This fire is stopping us from using Platform 1 at Eastbourne.

“Network Rail are on route to deal with this incident.

"Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on the following Stagecoach bus routes:

“11, 11a & 11b between Ashford International and Ham Street.

"101, 100 between Rye and Hastings.

“99 between Eastbourne and Rye via Hastings.”

An update at 5.31pm from Southern Rail said: “We're now able to run using all platforms at Eastbourne following this fire by the railway.

“Please continue to check your train for delays, alterations and possible cancellations this evening.”