Southern Rail: Train passengers faced delays and missed stops during track inspection near Gatwick
A track safety inspection, near Gatwick Airport, caused train delays and changes to stopping patterns.
Rail services between Gatwick Airport and Purley have since returned to normal, on Thursday (October 22).
Passengers travelling towards London were warned at 9am that trains would run at reduced speeds and could be delayed or cancelled.
London-bound services temporarily stopped calling at Horley, Salfords and Earlswood. Passengers travelling from those stations towards London were advised to head south to Gatwick Airport and change trains.
Those travelling to the affected stations from Brighton or Gatwick Airport were told to continue to Redhill and connect with a southbound service.
An update at 10.20am confirmed: “The safety inspection has taken place and all lines have now re-opened between Gatwick Airport and Purley.”
Trains resumed their usual stops, although passengers were initially advised to allow an additional 20 minutes while services recovered.
The update warned there could be ‘some residual disruption whilst the service returns to normal’.
A final notice confirmed: “Services are no longer being disrupted by this incident.”
During the disruption, passengers could use existing tickets at no extra cost on alternative Southern and Thameslink services between Gatwick Airport and East Croydon.
Passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more at their destination may be entitled to compensation through the Delay Repay scheme: