A broken rail between Tunbridge Wells / Eastbourne and Hastings means all lines are disrupted. As a result, trains may be cancelled.
This is expected until 14:00.
Customer Advice for Southern
Southern services are currently unable to run on the line from Bexhill towards St Leonards Warrior Square.
This means the route between Eastbourne, Hastings, Ore and Ashford International is disrupted. Trains will be affected in both directions, as this incident will mean trains and crews are no longer in the correct places along this route.
You can see if your journey will involve this route by checking the live map here.
Some trains heading eastbound (towards Hastings, Ore or Ashford International) will terminate before they get to the area, for example at Bexhill, and return in the opposite direction.
Trains returning west from stations such as Bexhill may depart earlier than their usual schedules, in order to reduce congestion.
Unfortunately, some other trains may be cancelled entirely.
You will need to consider using another route if your train cannot serve your station.
We don't have an exact estimate for the delay, but your journey is expected to take at least 1 hour longer than usual in the affected area, and if no alternative route is available, it may not be possible to get to your destination at all. In this case, please travel later today.
Alternative journey options:
Alternative journey options in this area will be limited. However, you may use the following alternative routes:
- Stagecoach buses between Eastbourne and Hastings, between Hastings and Rye, and between Ham Street and Ashford International
- Southeastern services between Ashford International and London Victoria, to connect with Southern services between London Victoria and Brighton / Eastbourne
You can see an alternative route guide here.
Southern have requested rail replacement buses to serve this route, but these have not yet been confirmed.
Customer Advice for Southeastern
Whilst undertaking overnight safety checks, Network Rail discovered a broken rail in Bo Peep Tunnel - between St Leonards Warrior Square and West St Leonards.
Network Rail teams are working to repair the rail, but work is expected to take most of the morning.
How does this affect my journey?
The following five trains will be able to run from Hastings towards London:
- 05:23 Hastings-London Charing Cross
- 05:48 Hastings-London Charing Cross
- 06:18 Hastings-London Charing Cross
- 07:18 Hastings-London Charing Cross
- 08:17 Hastings-London Charing Cross
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After those trains and until the repairs are completed, no trains can run between Hastings and Robertsbridge.
Please use online journey planners to check the status of your train.
Please note, planned engineering work is also taking place between Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.Â
What do I need to do?
If you were planning on travelling on the Hastings Line this morning, you'll need to allow some extra time for your journey.
You can use your ticket to complete your journey, at no extra cost, on the following services:
- Replacement bus services
- Stagecoach Bus Routes:
- 23 - between Hastings, St Leonards Warrior Square and West St Leonards
- 98/99 - between Hastings and St Leonards Warrior Square
- 304 - between Hastings, St Leonards Warrior Square, Battle and Robertsbridge
- 1066 - between Tunbridge Wells, Wadhurst, Robertsbridge, Battle, St Leonards Warrior Square and Hastings
Check before you travel:
You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner
For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility information, please use this page.
You can find the location of your replacement bus by checking station signs or by searching for your station on our station information pages.
Compensation:
You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.