A fault with the signalling system between Cosham and Southampton Central and a points failure at Havant means all lines are disrupted. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised. This is expected until 11:30.
South Western Railway Customer Advice:
We have been informed that there is a track circuit failure between Fareham and Swanwick. This means that trains have to run at reduced speed on the line towards Southampton. In addition, there is a problem with a set of points at Havant. This means that trains all lines are currently blocked.
For further information or onward travel advice please speak to a member of staff or use a station help point.
Southern Customer Advice:
A number of incidents are currently impacting Southern services between Havant, Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour.
- A points failure is affecting services in the Havant area
- A signalling fault in the Swanwick area is impacting services running to/from Southampton Central
This will impact trains on the following routes:
- Services between Brighton and Southampton Central
- Services between Brighton and Portsmouth & Southsea
- Services between London Victoria and Portsmouth & Southsea
If you are travelling on any of the above routes, please allow at least an extra 30-40 minutes to complete your journey, as this may involve you using an alternative route.
The direct Brighton to Southampton Central service may divert to Portsmouth & Southsea, and some trains may run directly through to Southampton Central so please do check carefully before boarding a train service. Please note, these trains will also be disrupted in the Havant area due to the points failure.
If you train is diverted, you can still travel to Fratton and change here for Great Western Railway services and South Western Railway services which will run through to Southampton Central (please note these may also be disrupted). Your ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on these alternative routes.
Your ticket will also be accepted at no extra cost with Stagecoach 700 bus route between Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Chichester, Havant, and Portsmouth.
You can view a live map here.
And an alternative route map can be found here.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
Swanwick signalling fault:
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. We're closely monitoring progress updates, and we'd like to thank you for your patience.
Havant points failure:
A points failure has been reported, and this is preventing trains from using some of the routes through this area.
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.
Network Rail responce teams are on there way to investigate further.
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.