Rail passengers across southern England are facing major disruption today, with delays and cancellations expected to continue until the end of service.
National Rail says the problem has been caused by a fault with the radio system between train drivers and signallers, affecting services across the South of England network. The incident was first reported at 8:53 this morning, Thursday 7 May, and was still being updated later in the morning.
Passengers have been warned that some trains may be delayed by up to 45 minutes or cancelled. Operators affected include Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and London Overground.
Southern says delays and cancellations are expected on its Sussex and Wessex routes, with services unable to run beyond Chichester towards Havant until further notice. Brighton to Southampton Central services are not running, while Brighton to Portsmouth and Southsea trains are only running as far as Chichester. London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour services are also being terminated short at Horsham or Chichester where possible.
CREDIT: PETER GORDON - Board at Fratton Railway Station:
Passengers travelling between Chichester and Portsmouth are being advised to use Stagecoach route 700 to complete their journeys. National Rail says people should check station screens and announcements carefully before boarding, with some journeys expected to take at least an hour longer than usual.
CREDIT: PETER GORDON - Fratton Railway Station Platform:
There is also planned engineering work affecting parts of the network tonight. Buses are replacing late-night trains between Lewes and Seaford, Redhill and Tonbridge, and on routes between East Croydon or Oxted and East Grinstead, Crowborough and Uckfield. Late-night and early-morning services between Littlehampton, Barnham, Bognor Regis and Chichester are also affected until Friday.
Passengers are being urged to check before they travel and may be entitled to compensation if their journey is delayed.
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