Major railway delays in Sussex and Surrey explained: trespass incident and passenger 'disturbance' reported

National Rail reported on Saturday night (April 11) that disruption would likely continue until around 2am on Sunday, ‘following multiple incidents earlier in the day’.

Although the incidents had been resolved by the evening, widespread cancellations, delays and service alterations continued into the night as operators worked to restore normal timetables. Several routes did not run at all, including Brighton to Bedford, Three Bridges to Bedford, Brighton to Cambridge and Horsham to Peterborough.

Passengers had been strongly advised not to travel during the disruption. Those who did travel were warned to allow at least 90 minutes of extra journey time and to expect diversions or alternative routes.

Ticket acceptance had been put in place across a range of alternative modes of transport, including in the north of England, where disruption was also reported.

The disruption was caused by three separate incidents. A trespasser near London Bridge was removed by late afternoon, a signalling power failure near Harpenden was resolved by early evening, and a points failure at Finsbury Park was temporarily fixed shortly afterwards.

Despite all three issues being resolved, services remained heavily affected as trains and crews were left out of position, leading to ongoing disruption until the end of service.

Passengers who chose not to travel were allowed to use their tickets on Sunday instead. Travellers who experienced delays were advised they could apply for compensation.

Further incidents in West Sussex

A trespass incident, and a passenger 'disturbance', were cited as the reasons for earlier train delays in West Sussex on Saturday.

Trains came to a stand, in the early hours of the morning.

Southern Rail reported at 12.10am there were ‘trespassers on the railway between Worthing and Angmering’.

The post on X (formerly Twitter) added: “All lines are blocked.

“We are working on gathering more information on this incident and will provide more service details shortly.

“If your train has come to a stand in between stations, please remain on board and do not attempt to leave the train unless directed to by a member of staff.

“We know where you are and we are working to get you on the move again shortly.”

Trains were delayed by up to 30 minutes.

Southern added: “Once the lines reopen, trains may not call at all scheduled stations. Please make sure to listen out for updates and check the information boards for the latest journey details.”

At 12.35am, all lines had been reopened and the train company was ‘working on recovering the service’.

A social media update read: “Services have been delayed by up to 30 minutes, so please ensure you allow extra time to arrive at your destination.

“If you are unable to make a connection due to the delays, please speak to station staff or press the green emergency button on a help point for further assistance.”

Trains were no longer being disrupted at 1am.

At 11.20am, a new incident was reported.

Southern Rail announced on X: “Due to a passenger causing a disturbance on a train between Hove and Worthing, the line towards Worthing is currently blocked.

“If you are using services towards Woolston, Chichester and Littlehampton, your service will be delayed en route.”

As of 11.45am, the affected train was on the move, and all lines had reopened.

“However, remaining delays are expected for northbound services due to congestion,” Southern added.

"If you are already travelling, you will need to allow an extra 20 minutes to complete your journey.”

Services were ‘still being affected’ by this incident, as of 12.40pm, as the emergency services were ‘still investigating it’.

Southern added: “Southbound services towards Brighton are also being affected by this incident.

“You will need to check journey planners as some services will experience delays or last-minute alterations.

“We are working to provide alternative routes to assist you with your journey.

“To assist you with your journey, you can use your ticket on South Western Railway services between Portsmouth and Woolston.

“You will need to allow an extra 25 minutes to complete your journey as you may need to change services en route to your destination.”

Disruption came to an end by 2pm, with no further trains affected.

If you were delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim compensation via the delay repay scheme: https://www.southernrailway.com/help-and-support/delay-repay-compensation