Southern Rail: Safety inspections cause delays and diversions in Sussex

The latest incident affected services between Three Bridges and Horsham on Saturday afternoon (September 5).

The southbound line towards Horsham was blocked, at around 4pm, while the track was inspected, with trains delayed and services altered.

Southern Rail advised passengers travelling from Three Bridges towards Crawley, Ifield, Faygate, Littlehaven and Horsham to delay their journey or use an alternative route, which could have added around 30 minutes to journey times.

Tickets were accepted on Metrobus services to help affected passengers travel between the stations.

At around 4.30pm, Southern said passengers travelling from Horsham towards Three Bridges and London could travel as usual, although a reduced train service was operating.

A further update shortly afterwards confirmed that all lines had reopened, and trains were able to run between Three Bridges and Horsham, as usual.

Southern said it was working to get trains and crews back on schedule following the disruption.

Passengers travelling from Horsham towards London were warned they may have to wait longer than usual, as some trains had earlier been terminated before reaching their usual destinations to avoid further disruption.

Earlier on Saturday, trains face delays of up to 45 minutes amid a safety inspection of the track between Haywards Heath and Lewes.

The southbound line towards Lewes was blocked from around 12.30pm, with Network Rail engineers attending to inspect the tracks.

The disruption affected trains running southbound between London Victoria and Eastbourne and Ore.

Southern said trains would divert after Haywards Heath into Brighton before travelling along the coast to Eastbourne.

The diversionary route could add around 30 minutes to journeys, while passengers have been advised to allow an additional 30 to 45 minutes because of knock-on disruption. The northbound line remained open.

The disruption also meant there were no southbound services from Plumpton and Cooksbridge.

Passengers at those stations wishing to travel towards the coast were advised to use the station help point to speak to staff, or travel north to Haywards Heath and change for a service towards Eastbourne via Brighton.

Southern said at around 1.30pm that Network Rail engineers were on site and inspecting the tracks.

Some services travelling towards Eastbourne have been terminating at Gatwick Airport, in an attempt to prevent further disruption at Brighton station.

Passengers travelling from Gatwick Airport towards Eastbourne were told they may need to change for connections via Brighton, with fewer services running on that route.

The company issued a specific warning to football fans travelling to the Brighton vs Leeds match, at the Amex Stadium.

An update at 3.35pm read: “There continues to be a reduced service between London Victoria and Eastbourne and you will likely find you need to change onto more than usual trains to get to where you need to be. This will likely be at: East Croydon, if your train is cancelled to/from Victoria; Gatwick Airport, if your train is terminated here; Brighton, for connections on towards Lewes.”

The line towards Lewes had re-opened ‘at a reduced speed’ by 4pm.

Southern added: “rains are now allowed to run from Haywards Heath towards Lewes once more, however, this will be at a slower than usual speed. The reduced speed will cause delays to these trains.

"Our advice remains the same. Please check your journey in advance and allow extra time to get to your destination. A very limited service is currently running between London and Eastbourne.”

A similar safety inspection caused delays between Lewes and Seaford on Friday evening (September 4).

That incident was first reported at around 8.35pm, with trains towards Seaford initially running at reduced speed before services returned to the normal route later that evening.

It also follows the reopening of the railway between Lewes and Haywards Heath earlier this week, after an Eastbourne-bound train from London Victoria derailed outside Lewes on August 13.

Network Rail said an extensive programme of work was carried out to recover the derailed train and rebuild the damaged railway.

The railway reopened to passenger services on Tuesday, September 1, following engineering checks, safety assurance processes and test train operations.

Timetable changes amid string of track safety inspections

Rail passengers have faced a series of disruptions caused by track safety inspections across Sussex – and timetable changes are in place as a result.

Customers have been advised to check before they travel as targeted timetable changes were introduced – on the Arun Valley and Uckfield lines – from Tuesday, September 1.

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Greater Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern, said: “We know these temporary changes will be disappointing for customers. Many people rely on our services to get to work, school, appointments and to see family and friends so we appreciate that changes like these can have a real impact on people's daily lives, which is why we've taken steps to protect key school-time services wherever possible.

“We're sorry for the disruption these changes may may cause. These measures are necessary to keep trains running safely and as reliably as possible, and allow engineers to complete their assessment.

"We're grateful for our customers' patience and understanding, and we'd encourage everyone travelling on the affected routes to check before they travel so they have the latest information and can plan their journeys with confidence."

To claim compensation, for journeys delayed by 15 minutes or more, visit: https://www.southernrailway.com/help-and-support/delay-repay-compensation