Due to a fault with the signalling system at Portchester some lines are currently disrupted. As a result, trains running between Fareham and Havant / Portsmouth Harbour may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.
Disruption is expected until 20:00.
Customer Advice:
South Western Railway
We have been informed of a signalling issue at Portchester. This means that trains may experience a delay whilst travelling through this location.
To assist you with your journey your ticket will be accepted, at no extra cost to yourself, on the following services:
- First Portsmouth 28A Fareham - Swanwick
- First Portsmouth 3 Fareham - Portchester - Cosham - Hilsea - Fratton - Portsmouth & Southsea - Portsmouth Harbour
- First Portsmouth X4 Southampton Central - Woolston - Sholing - Fareham - Portchester - Portsmouth & Southsea - Portsmouth Harbour
- First Portsmouth X5 Southampton Central - Woolston - Sholing - Fareham
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For further information or onward travel advice please speak to a member of staff or use a station help point.
Southern
Southern services to/from Southampton Central are being disrupted, due to a fault with the signalling system in the Portchester area.
Services that run between Southampton and London Victoria will run between Barnham or Bognor Regis and London Victoria instead. This applies to trains running in both directions.
Services that run between Brighton and Southampton will reither run through with delays, or will terminate and restart elsewhere, for instead at Barnham.
Please check before you travel this evening. You may need to change trains en route at Barnham and possibly again at Havant or Fratton.
We'd advise allowing an extra 20 minutes for your journey this evening.
Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on the following:
- South Western Railway services between Southampton and Havant/Portsmouth.
- Great Western Railway services between Southampton and Portsmouth.
Please note that these services will also be affected by this incident, with delays, alterations and cancellations being possible.
You can check if your journey will be affected using the live route map here.
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Can you tell me more about the incident?
A track circuit failure is affecting trains travelling in both directions on the route between Cosham and Southampton.
This part of the network uses track circuits to detect the position of trains. These are electrical systems which 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 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.
âââââââCompensation:
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.