Sussex rail delays: Line closed between Barnham and Horsham after 'local power issue'

Southern Rail said it was advised of a fault with the signalling system around 4.30pm and trains are ‘severely disrupted’.

“As a result, all lines are closed,” a statement on Twitter added.

Southern said there will be no trains between Barnham and Horsham until approximately 7pm.

Trains running between these stations will be cancelled.

A spokesperson added: “No trains can run between Barnham and Horsham, in the direction of Horsham, until further notice.

“Your tickets will be accepted on the following alternative Southern services via Brighton; Thameslink trains between Brighton and London; South Western Railway between Southampton / Portsmouth and London; London Underground via any reasonable route.”

Some rail replacement buses were due to be in operation but these are ‘very limited’ and ‘expected to be extremely busy’.

Southern said a fault has been confirmed as a local power issue that has affected level crossing and caused track circuit failures.

“This means the signalling system is unable to automatically verify if the next section of track past the affected signal is clear,” the spokesperson said.

"The rail network is designed so that if a signal stops working, trains will stop before they reach it. Whilst this issue is ongoing, train crew will stop at the affected signal and contact the signalling centre to confirm their location.

"At this point the signaller will verbally authorise the driver to continue towards the next signal. This process adds time to every train's journey, which means services can experience short delays.”

There were significant delays on the railway this morning after fault with the signalling system in the London area. Click here to read more.