Delays between Clapham Junction and East Croydon expected until 16:30

A fault with the signalling system at Balham means some lines are disrupted. As a result, trains running between Clapham Junction and East Croydon may be delayed by up to 10 minutes.

Disruption is expected to continue until 16:30.

Customer Advice

We've recently been told about a fault with the signalling system at Balham, and we're working to get more information for you. 

This is mainly affecting Southern services which run non-stop from Clapham Junction towards East Croydon, and also Gatwick Express services from London Victoria towards Gatwick Airport. 

Your journey is likely to be delayed by around 10 minutes. 

You'll be able to see any further updates on this page, so please continue to check back here. 

If you need to use another route, we'll let you know, but we don't expect this will be the case at present.  

Planning your journey: 

You can see a live map of our network here. This will now start to show where your journey is likely to be delayed.  

Can you tell me more about the incident? 

At the moment, we're working with our colleagues at Network Rail to assess the situation. An axle counter failure is disrupting trains which travel on one of the two southbound lines through Balham. 

This part of the network uses axle counters to detect whether trains are in the area. These are electrical systems which check the passage of train wheels and monitor whether a train is on a section of track. They operate as part of the signalling system, which is designed to be "fail safe". 

When an axle counter fails, the signalling system will interpret this as a train remaining in place, even though there may not be a train present at all, or the previous service may have long since left the area. 

As a result, further trains cannot be automatically allowed onto the relevant section of track. Train drivers will be stopped by red signals on approach. They will then get verbal permission from the signaller so that they can proceed, and will run at a heavily-reduced speed as far as the next signal. This is so that the drivers will stop safely if they see anything ahead of them. 

In some areas, the sections between signals can be several miles long, so this can result in delays building up. Even with shorter sections of track affected, there would still be a delay of at least a few minutes to each journey. 

Axle counter faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults and debris coming into contact with them. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including axle counters, and their staff will be investigating as quickly as possible. We're closely monitoring progress updates, and we'd like to thank you for your patience.

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.