A trespass incident between Lewes and Eastbourne means trains running between these stations may be delayed, cancelled or revised.
Disruption is expected until 22:00.
Customer Advice
Services are unable to run in either direction between Lewes and Eastbourne. Services between Eastbourne and Hastings will likely also be impacted by this incident however we are waiting on further details on how these services will be affected.
Delays, alterations and cancellations are all possible. Some services may terminate and restart at a different station to normal, or will have cancelled stops.
Please delay your journey until later, once the line has reopened. If you do travel now then you'll likely need to use an alternative route to complete your journey. Journeys will take at least 30 minutes longer than usual so please allow plenty of extra time for your journey.
Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on the following alternatives:
- Brighton & Hove Buses routes 12/12A/12X between Brighton, Seaford and Eastbourne. Please note these services do not run via Lewes, but you can change at Seaford for bus and train connections.
- Southern services on any reasonable route, including between Brighton and Seaford
- Southeastern services between Hastings and London Bridge/London Charing Cross
Planning your journey:
Live departure boards can be found here.
You can view a live map of the network here.
You can also see an alternative route guide here.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
A trespass incident has been reported in the Polegate area.
In this case, we've needed to stop trains entirely, as it's not safe to run services past the person. Emergency services and Network Rail responders are attending to make sure the person is removed.
Trespassing on the railway is very dangerous. Trains run all day, every day - whether passenger trains, freight trains or specialist engineering work machines. It's not possible to be sure that you can hear when a train is coming, and in many cases, you won't see a train until it is very close to you.
In many areas, trains are powered by an electric third rail, which carries a dangerous electric current. There are also other electrical systems and cables, slippery surfaces, steep drops and other hazards.
As well as the dangers, trespassing on the railway is also illegal, and obstructing the railway can carry severe penalties.
Check before you travel:
You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner
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.