Southern has said that an incident obstructing the line between Horsham and Arndel will mean that passengers will need to take alternative routs or use bus services. The rail operator first reported the incident, believed to be near Billingshurst at 08:19 on Monday morning using Twitter/X.
⚠️ Trains have been stopped between Horsham and Arundel, affecting our Southern route through this area.
We are investigating reports that the barriers at a level crossing have been pushed onto the track and one of our trains has unfortunately now struck the barriers.
— Southern (@SouthernRailUK) April 29, 2024
Subsequent posts gave information about alternative routes and services:
“We’re working with our train crew and Network Rail to make sure the railway is clear and that we can get trains moving, but we don’t currently have an estimate for this.
“You can see if this is on your route by checking our live map: https://livemap.southernrailway.com/#/mapview
“We’ve arranged for your ticket to be accepted at no extra cost on some other routes:
– South Western Railway between Portsmouth or Southampton Central & London Waterloo – including via Guildford
– GWR between Guildford & Gatwick Airport
– Thameslink between Horsham & London
” If one of these routes covers your journey, we recommend you now start to use it, until we can confirm that the railway can reopen.
“We’ve also asked for our suppliers to provide replacement buses in this area, but we haven’t had these confirmed yet.
“To get trains round the closed lines between Horsham and Arundel, we’re likely to divert through Hove.
“This affects our route between London Victoria & Portsmouth / Southampton Central / Bognor Regis. These trains won’t stop at the usual stations between Three Bridges & Ford.
“Network Rail and Southern response staff are now starting to arrive on site at the location of this incident, near Billingshurst.
“We’ll be assisting passengers on the train which has hit the barriers. Work will also be needed to clear the barriers themselves from the track.”
