A fault with the signalling system at Portsmouth & Southsea means trains have to run at reduced speed. As a result, trains running to / from Portsmouth Harbour may be cancelled or delayed by up to 15 minutes.
This is expected until 14:00.
Customer Advice:
Southern
You can travel using your normal route this afternoon, but please allow some extra time for your journey - we'd advise an extra 15 minutes.
Planning your journey:
Live departure boards can be found here.
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You can also use our app to find up-to-date information.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
An axle counter failure will disrupt your journey in the Portsmouth & Southsea area.
This part of the network uses axle counters to detect whether trains are in the area. These are electrical systems which check the passage of train wheels and 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 an axle counter 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.
Axle counter faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults and debris coming into contact with them. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including axle counters, and their staff will be investigating as quickly as possible.
South Western Railway
For further information or onward travel advice please speak to a member of staff or use a station help point.
If you would prefer to use local buses to continue your journey please check Traveline - South Western Railway tickets are not valid on local buses unless stated above.
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.