'Urgent repairs' - West Sussex train delays explained
A ‘track defect’ has been identified in West Sussex – and trains are subject to disruption, as a result.
Southern Rail reported at 7.10am on Tuesday (March 31) that services between Arundel and Horsham ‘will be subject to delays due to urgent repairs to the track’.
"Following a safety inspection, a track defect has been found on the line from London and Gatwick Airport towards Barnham and the south coast,” Southern reported on its website.
"Trains may be diverted to avoid running through this area while Network Rail attend to rectify the issue.”
‘Urgent repairs’ to the track between Horsham and Arundel ‘means that fewer trains are able to run’.
"As a result, trains running between these stations may be delayed by up to 10 minutes, revised or diverted via Hove,” Southern Rail added.
"Following a report of a track defect, trains which run from London Victoria and Gatwick Airport towards Bognor Regis / Havant will be diverted to run fast from Three Bridges to Ford, via Hove.
“If you're travelling southbound to a station between Horsham and Ford, you will need to take an alternative route. You should allow an additional 45 minutes to do so.”
Disruption is currently expected until 10am.
It is expected that services that run between London Victoria to Bognor Regis / Havant, splitting / attaching at Horsham, will instead run only between London Victoria and Barnham.
Your ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on the following:
– Alternative Thameslink and Southern trains towards your destination (including changing trains via Brighton);
– Alternative South Western Railway services between London Waterloo, Portsmouth, and Southampton;
– London Underground services via any reasonable route;
– Stagecoach Buses 9 between Shoreham-by-Sea, Lancing, Worthing, Littlehampton, Angmering and Arundel;
– Compass Travel 100 for Horsham, Billingshurst, Pulborough, and Burgess Hill;
– Metrobus 23 between Crawley, Faygate, Horsham, and Worthing;
– Metrobus 200 between Gatwick Airport, Ifield, Faygate, Littlehaven and Horsham
Southern added: “You should check journey planners before you travel. If you're travelling now, you should check station information screens, listen to announcements, and check the Southern app for up-to-date travel information, as your journey may be affected by short notice changes.
“Journeys to / from Portsmouth are already being affected by planned engineering works, with replacement buses running from between Havant and Portsmouth Harbour, and Portsmouth Harbour and Fareham. If you're travelling to / from the Portsmouth area, you should allow additional extra time to complete your journey.”
Southern has ‘requested buses from our suppliers’, but are ‘still waiting for confirmation’.
You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as ‘both will be required to support any claim’: https://www.southernrailway.com/help-and-support/delay-repay-compensation