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24/02/2025

A fault with the signalling system between Haywards Heath and Three Bridges means trains have to run at reduced speed on the line towards Three Bridges. Trains running through these stations may be delayed by up to 10 minutes.

Disruption is expected until 13:00.

Customer advice

Southern

Littlehampton - Victoria

  • services departing Littlehampton at xx50 past the hour will run as booked
  • services departing Littlehampton at xx20 past the hour will be diverted after Arundel, and will run fast to Three Bridges via Horsham (not stopping at Horsham), then as booked

Services between Victoria and Littlehampton will run as advertised.

Please check station boards and planners for the latest information for your intended train, and leave extra time to travel if necessary. If you are catching a service that is running via Horsham, and need a station in between Littlehampton and Three Bridges, you can change at Three Bridges and catch a return service.

Thameslink

There will be a reduced service between Brighton and Three Bridges.

Ticket acceptance

Your ticket will be accepted mutually between Thameslink and Southern (not Gatwick Express), between Brighton and East Croydon.

Planning your journey:

The live departure boards can be found here.

You can view a live map of the network here.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Trains may be delayed due to a fault with a signal in this area. In this case, the signal is unable to show the normal coloured light indications to drivers, which means that your train will need to travel at reduced speed on this part of the network.

Railway signals are designed to warn drivers that they have to stop because the system can't yet confirm that the route ahead is clear. In most places, the signalling system will show a green light, or aspect, when the track is clear for a long distance ahead, and drivers will then be shown one or two yellow lights to warn them when they are approaching a red signal. This means that they can anticipate the amount of braking that's required to stop before they reach another train or any form of problem on the line.

Signalling runs on "fail safe" principles, so if the signals can't step through the usual colours, they will instead show a more restrictive colour - for example, yellow instead of green. This means drivers will be expecting to come to a stop, but in fact, the route ahead may still be clear. This leads to delays whilst trains proceed more slowly than usual.

The signalling system is maintained by Network Rail, they are working to diagnose the fault and make sure it is fixed as quickly as possible.

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.

Affected operators
Gatwick Express, Southern, Thameslink
Nationalrail link
Last updated: 27/01/25 - 11:38