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05/04/2024

A points failure between Chichester and Portsmouth Harbour is causing disruption to services between these stations. As a result, trains may be cancelled or revised.

Disruption is expected until 08:00.

Customer Advice:

Please allow extra time to complete your journey this morning, and make sure to check journey planners before setting off.

This incident will affect services to / from London Victoria and Brighton, and Portsmouth / Southampton.

The affected journey area will be between Chichester and Southampton / Portsmouth.

To complete your journey, you should use the following ticket acceptance :

  • Stagecoach 700 services, between Chichester and Portsmouth
  • South Western Railway services, between Havant and Portsmouth

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 points failure has been reported, and this is preventing trains from travelling on this route.

Points are moveable sections of track which can send trains onto different routes at junctions. These are part of the signalling system, generally managed by Network Rail.

Points can stop moving correctly for a number of reasons. For example, there may be an obstruction in the moving parts, or the electronic control systems may have developed a fault.

There are various backup systems which allow signallers to try to "set" the points, and in some cases, the points may be available for trains in one of the directions they serve, but not another. However, with more severe failures like this one, the route is blocked entirely.

Network Rail have sent their specialist Signalling & Telecoms teams to site as a priority, and they will set up a safe method of working on the track. As soon as it's safe to go on the line, they will diagnose the fault and find any quick solutions to resolve it.

Whilst this is being done, we will be monitoring progress closely. At times, replacement parts may be needed, or specialist advice from suppliers, which is why some points failures take longer to resolve than others.

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
Southern
Nationalrail link
Last updated: 05/04/24 - 05:41