Sussex railway delays explained as system fault reported

Southern Rail reported that there is a fault with the signalling system in the Patcham Tunnel area by Preston Park.

This is delaying Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express services.

"This situation has been ongoing for a little while, but has only now started to affect Southern services,” the train company reported, shortly before 9am.

"Please check live journey planners before travelling and allow extra time to complete your journey.

"To see if your journey is affected, please see our live map here: https://livemap.thameslinkrailway.com/#/.”

Thameslink trains between Bedford/Brighton and Cambridge/Brighton will be delayed by up to 15 minutes, Southern said.

Gatwick Express trains between London Victoria and Brighton will be delayed by up to 15 minutes.

A spokesperson added: “The first Southern service due down towards Preston Park will be the London Victoria to Littlehampton due at 8.50am. Once we have further details, we will update whether these services will also be impacted

“Trains travelling back north from Brighton on the above routes will also have a delayed start as a result.”

Southern said staff were on site and ‘currently assessing the situation’, adding: “Once we have an update from site we will update we will update you.

"In the meantime please continue to check before you travel and allow extra time to complete your journey.”