Southern Rail: Train delays explained between Brighton and Haywards Heath
Train services between Brighton and London were disrupted on Wednesday evening (September 2).
This was due to a safety inspection of the track between Brighton and Haywards Heath.
Southern Rail reported, at 7.15pm, that northbound services towards London were running at reduced speeds.
Passengers were advised they could continue to use their planned routes, but were warned to allow extra time for their journeys.
Delays were initially estimated at up to 15 minutes before Southern increased its advice to allow an additional 20 minutes.
The operator later said delays had reduced to between five and ten minutes, although the incident was expected to continue affecting services until the end of the day.
Southern said Network Rail staff were expected to rectify the issue overnight.
Services towards Brighton were not affected by the disruption.
Southern subsequently confirmed, at 9.15pm, that disruption had ended and no further trains would be affected by the incident.
Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or longer may be entitled to compensation: https://www.southernrailway.com/help-and-support/delay-repay-compensation
Rail passengers have faced a series of disruptions caused by track safety inspections across Sussex – and timetable changes are planned as a result.
Customers are being advised to check before they travel as targeted timetable changes are 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.”
Louise Greaves is the infrastructure director for Network Rail’s Sussex route.
She said: “When we introduce speed restrictions on our railway, we do so with the safety of the railway and our customers at the forefront of our minds.
“Safety remains our top priority, and these are important steps to allow trains to continue to travel on our network. We realise that journeys may take longer, but we appreciate the understanding of our customers as our teams continue their work to maintain the resilience of the railway.”
The train company said its ‘targeted changes’ are needed because temporary speed restrictions have been introduced by Network Rail on sections of the railway. It follows a ‘period of recent record-breaking hot weather’ and ‘sustained low rainfall, which has affected track conditions in some areas’.