A fault with the signalling system between Epsom and Leatherhead means trains running between these stations may be delayed by up to 15 minutes or cancelled.
Disruption is expected until 10:00.
Southern Customer Advice
You can travel as normal but should allow up to 15 minutes extra to complete your journey.
Ticket acceptance
You can use your ticket on the following at no extra cost to yourself:
- South Western Railway services between Leatherhead and London Waterloo
- Thameslink services between Sutton and London
- London Underground across terminal stations
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.
If you're travelling in the London area, you can plan journeys on alternative routes by using the TfL Journey Planner here.
South Western Railway Customer Advice
Tickets will be accepted on the following routes:
- Southern between London Victoria, Clapham Junction and Dorking
- London Buses via any reasonable route
Can you tell me more about the incident?
A track circuit failure will disrupt your journey in the Leatherhead area.
When a track circuit 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.
Track circuit faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults or obstructions on the track. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including track circuits, and their staff will be investigating 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.