Rail passengers in Portsmouth have been facing major disruption after a faulty train blocked all lines between Portsmouth Harbour and Portsmouth & Southsea.
The problem has led to cancellations, delays of up to 40 minutes and changes to services running to and from Portsmouth Harbour. Disruption is expected to continue until 2pm.
The fault happened after a train broke down on the line, leaving services unable to pass through the affected section. Train operators including Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and Southern have all warned passengers to expect disruption while engineers work to resolve the issue.
Great Western Railway says services from Portsmouth Harbour are starting from Portsmouth & Southsea or Fratton instead. Trains travelling towards Portsmouth Harbour are also terminating at those stations rather than completing the full route.
South Western Railway says the same arrangements are in place on its services. The operator has also confirmed that tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on a number of local bus routes while the line remains blocked. These include First Bus services 1, 2 and 3, along with Stagecoach routes 23 and the 700 Coastliner.
Southern says trains to and from Portsmouth & Southsea are expected to run as normal, but services that would usually continue to Portsmouth Harbour are being cut short. Passengers are being told to listen to announcements and check station screens for the latest updates before travelling.
Rail firms say staff are working with Network Rail and maintenance teams to restore the normal timetable as quickly as possible. If the fault cannot be fixed quickly, specialist engineers may need to attend or the train may have to be taken out of service.
Passengers whose journeys are delayed may be entitled to compensation. They are being advised to keep their ticket and make a note of their journey details in case they need to make a claim.
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