A fault with the signalling system between Ashford International and Eastbourne means trains have to run at a reduced speed on all lines. Trains may be delayed by up to 15 minutes.
Disruption is expected until 12:30.
Customer advice:
There will be delays to services between Ashford International, Hastings and Eastbourne. You can travel as normal but should allow up to 15 minutes extra to complete your journey.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
There are two areas where delays will occur. The first is between Rye and Ore, where trains will pick up delays of around 7 minutes. In this particular situation the fault has been confirmed as a 'track circuit failure'. This means the signalling system is unable to automatically verify if the next section of track past the affected signal is clear.
The rail network is designed so that if a signal stops working, trains will stop before they reach it. Whilst this issue is ongoing, train crew will stop at the affected signal and contact the signalling centre to confirm their location. At this point the signaller will verbally authorise the driver to continue towards the next signal. This process adds time to every trainâs journey, which means services can experience short delays.
The second area is between Pevensey & Westham and Hampden Park where delays are expected to be up to 5 minutes. This is confirmed as a double axle counter failure. Axle counters are used to detect the clear or occupied status of a section of track between two points. It counts the number of train wheels passed through it so as to confirm the track is clear for the next train to run through. When these fail the signaller has to confirm with the drivers that the train has cleared the section before allowing the next train through.
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.