Southern Rail: Animals cause train disruption for passengers in Sussex and Surrey
Train passengers in Sussex and Surrey are facing significant disruption, after animals were reported on the railway between Horsham and Epsom.
Southern Rail first reported the incident at 6.25am, on Monday (June 1), warning that trains towards Epsom were being delayed and revised while the problem was investigated.
The operator has since confirmed that no trains can run between Dorking and Epsom, with services through the area severely affected.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) read: “No trains can currently run between Dorking and Epsom. We're unable to provide an estimate for when lines will reopen.”
A further update at 7.30am stated: “This morning's disruption has been caused by animals on the railway.”
Services that normally run between London Victoria and Horsham or Dorking are expected to operate only between London Victoria and Epsom, while a shuttle service is expected to run between Dorking and Horsham.
Passengers travelling through the area have been advised to check station screens, listen to announcements and allow additional time for their journeys.
To help passengers continue their journeys, ticket acceptance has been arranged on alternative Southern and Thameslink services between Horsham, Redhill and London, as well as on South Western Railway services between Dorking, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.
Additional ticket acceptance is also in place on certain Great Western Railway services and London bus routes.
Southern warned that travelling via alternative routes could add at least 45 minutes to journey times.
The operator said passengers currently stopped outside stations should remain on board and await further instructions from train crews while the disruption continues.