Following a points failure between Eastbourne and Hastings all lines have reopened. As service recovers, trains running between these stations may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.
Disruption is expected until 16:00.
Customer advice:
Trains are now able to run between Bexhill and Hastings/Ashford International once more. You should still leave extra time to travel as there will be further alterations and cancellations whilst staff work to get trains back to their advertised timetable.
Your ticket will be accepted on the following, at no extra cost:
- Stagecoach buses between Eastbourne and Ashford (including routes 2A, 11, 11A, 29, 98, 99, 100)
- Southeastern services between Hastings and London
- London Underground on any reasonable route
Planning your journey:
The live departure boards can be found here.
You can view a live map of the network here.
You can also see the 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.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
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.
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 Southern have to stop trains completely, which can lead to trains on other routes also being held at stations or signals.
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, Southern 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.
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.