Following an earlier communication alarm being activated on a train between Brighton and Hove all lines have reopened.

As normal service resumes, trains between these stations may be delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 18:30.

Customer Advice

Services that run between Brighton and Hove (in both directions) have been delayed, due to a fault on a train earlier today.

Short notice alterations and cancellations are also possible as a result, which means that some services may have cancelled stops or will terminate and restart at a different station to normal.

Please check before you travel this evening. You can travel using your normal route but we'd advise allowing extra time for your journey. If your planned train is affected then you may need to take an earlier or later train instead, or change trains in order to complete your journey.

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 the app to find up-to-date information.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Earlier this evening, the communication alarm was pulled on a train which brought that train to a stand. This train then developed a fault, which is resulting in further delays to other services travelling through this area.

Normally, when a fault on a train occurs, crews will gather details and report this to the Fleet teams. If possible, the defect will be fixed promptly, and the train can continue on its way. Initial steps are designed to take around 10 minutes.

However, sometimes the fault cannot be fixed in this time frame. In this case, wherever possible, the train will be taken out of use and sent to a depot. This does take additional time, as the crew will need to make sure that everyone's managed to leave the train.

If this can't be done either, specialist engineers will be sent to site, known as "fitters". There are fitters based in key locations around the network, 24 hours a day, and they are able to attend anywhere on the routes. Once they are on site, progress updates are monitored and to ensure that the railway can be reopened as promptly as possible.

Until the defective train can be moved, it is possible to try find a way to get other trains around the issue. This depends how many lines are available, and whether the signalling equipment is set up to allow trains to be routed around the problem. This is more often the case on major routes, but not always. Network Rail's controllers will work to decide how many more trains can be sent through the area, and if this isn't possible, alternative solutions will be looked at to see what is available to help you continue your journey.

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.