A points failure at East Croydon is causing disruption to journeys towards London Bridge and London Victoria. As a result, trains may be delayed.
This is expected until 09:00.
Customer Advice:
Delays are expected in the East Croydon area. This is mainly affecting trains towards London Victoria and London Bridge, although some southbound trains may experience some congestion-based delays.
You can travel using your normal route this morning, but please allow extra time for your journey - we'd advise an extra 15 minutes at present.
Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on the following:
- Southern services on any reasonable route to/from London
- Thameslink services on any reasonable route to/from London
- London Underground between London Terminals, for instance to travel between London Victoria and London Bridge or Blackfriars.
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.
You can also use our app to find up-to-date information.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
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.
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, the line in question may be blocked entirely.
Network Rail will send their specialist Signalling & Telecoms teams to site, and they will set up a safe method of working on the track. To allow staff to access the railway, sometimes we have to stop trains completely, which can lead to your train being held at stations or signals en route.
As soon as it's safe to go on the line, the staff 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.